The Legend of Quincey
by Keyzon
Summary: Rated MA - May Contain Spoilers  This is a Legend of Zelda parody based off the locations of Majora's Mask & Twilight Princess. This is an alternate universe where various character are replaced by fan-made characters.
1. Prologue

**The Legend of Quincey**

**Hyrule, Termina & Twilight**

**By James Mills**

**A Legend of Zelda Parody**

**Prologue: The Wrath of Termina**

The sky was an eerie shade of violet, shrouded in black patches resembling clouds. Beneath this sunless sky lied the floating buildings of the dark city, its inhabitants wandering the stony streets of their home. The buildings black and the people pale, dressed in dark colors, the absence of light seemed almost fitting.

At the center of the city, stood a dreadfully magnificent palace that towered over all else. In the central tower, the tallest part of the structure, laid the bed chambers of royalty. Within these chambers two individuals slept beneath the covers of the well kept, massive canopy bed, entangled in one another's embrace.

The first to awake was a man of ghostly pale skin, his violet eyes cracking open as he became conscious. Sitting upright, he stretched his slender arms out to the sides, his exaggerated yawn breaking the silence of the room. With a well toned figure, his bare skin without imperfections, and neck-length lavender hair that was only parted enough to show the sharp features of his face, the man gave off a misleading sense of charm and tranquility.

Awakened by his movements, the woman who lay beside him began to open her blue-ish violet eyes. Brushing the long, golden blonde hair from her face, she held the sheets over her gorgeous figure as she lifted herself up to face him with a loving smile.

"Good morning" she said sweetly, running her free hand up his back and resting it on his shoulder "did you sleep well?"

"How could I not?" he replied with a grin, turning back to her as he gently caressed her cheek with the back of his hand "With such an alluring beauty at my side." She giggled happily as she brought her arms around him, the sheet sliding off of her slim form.

"You're such a suck up" she whispered into his ear before brushing her lips against his neck playfully.

"Can you blame me for doing what I'm good at?" he purred, running a hand through her silky hair as his grin widened, revealing his elongated canine fangs. Another cheerful laugh escaped her lips as she brought her lips to his, the two of them shutting their eyes as they kissed one another passionately.

When their lips parted, she took her arms from him as he got to his feet. Making his way around the room, he gathered up various articles of clothing and began pulling them on.

"Going to make me breakfast?" she asked with a smirk, moving her legs over the side of the bed.

"After I take a quick walk" he told her, now dressed in a dark, gothic outfit of various shades of black, silver and lavender "I'm rather fond of the nature in this world." The woman shook her head in amusement, getting to her feet as she walked over to him and gently pressed herself against him.

"I love you, Quincey" she said softly, looking up at him as she motioned to bring her lips to his.

"I love you, Reika" he replied with sincerity as he gave her a final, loving kiss before heading for the door.

"Don't forget my breakfast" she called after him as he stepped out into the hallway.

"I wouldn't dream of it" he called back with a laugh, making his way down the tower's spiraling staircase.

When he reached the bottom floor of the palace, he emerged from its massive double doors out into the surrounding world of constant twilight. Taking a moment to give his surroundings a quick look over, he stepped out onto the streets of the city and began moving towards the city's outer edge.

Stepping out past the buildings, he looked out over the vast and endless void of dusk that surrounded the seemingly floating metropolis. Black particles filled the air beyond the city's reach, figments of shadowy beasts phasing in and out of sight in the far distance.

"Oh, this replace reminds me so much of home" Quincey sighed happily to himself, slowly walking along the edge of the stony floating island that held the city aloft. A gentle breeze sailed through the air, blowing through his hair as he walked "Ah, you just don't find pleasantries like this anymore…"

Coming to a stop, he caught sight of the large mirror that stood alone on an outstretched section of the floating isle's surface. He stood perfectly still as the rim of the mirror light up, it's surface beginning to glow with a brilliant light.

"So…" he huffed, several people along the city's boarder looking towards the light shinning off the structure "The Light Realm's sending us more of its _garbage_."

Countless black particles emerged from the mirror's face and quickly clustered together as they took form. Piece by piece, the various hues of blue, green and purple of the robes became visible, a dark figure hidden beneath several layers of cloth now floating several feet above the ground. A handful of people began to move towards the figure, watching them curiously as the light dimmed and vanished from the mirror.

"Hello?" came the voice of one of the city's civilians as they stepped forward. A long moment of silence and stillness followed their words, a sense of uncertainty overcoming the people. "Hello?" repeated the same citizen as they stepped closer, struggling to appear confident as they approached.

The robed figure's head suddenly snapped to the side, eyes hidden beyond the veil of shadow cast by their hood giving off a faint, violet flicker. The citizens froze, keeping completely still as the figure began to float higher into the sky. Finally taking their gaze from the one who had approached them, the figure turned their attention towards the tower that stood out over the city.

"And what do you think you're going to do?" Quincey questioned under his breath as he followed their gaze to the palace, taking a step towards them. The figure raised an arm towards the tower's peak, a skeleton hand emerging from beneath their robes and pointing at the highest window. A sudden tremor shook the ground as the top half of the tower toe away from its base, floating up into the air as it tilted to one side.

"The Palace!" someone cried out as the chaos ensued within the city, people screaming in terror and running about in confusion.

"Reika!" Quincey exclaimed, dashing towards the figure at full sprint. Unconcerned with those below them, the figure's attention never left the floating chunk of the tower as it moved towards them. As the tower shifted around, bringing the window to face them, Quincey leaped into the air, his body dispersing into countless bat-like shadows that swarmed together and soared through the air towards the figure.

The window flew open as the figure's arm fell back to their side, their robes concealing their hand once more. Reika laid on the floor, having lost her balance from the tower's sudden movements, when she looked up through the window to see them, a look of terror crossing her face.

Quincey's swarm rushed towards the figure, enraged screeches erupting from the fanged maws of its bat-like components. Building up speed, he came to an abrupt and painful stop as if against crashing into a stone wall a few feet from his target. In a moment of confusion, the swarm scattered before regrouping at the ground below, Quincey retaking his original form.

"Son of a bitch!" he snarled, glaring up at the robed figure as they held their hand back out into the chamber beyond the window. Reika let out a shriek of terror as floated up off the floor, her body frozen as she drifted through the air towards the figure.

"Let me go!" she demanded, struggling against the unseen force that held restrained her. Dressed in little more than a thin black gown, she came to a stop midway between the figure and the window.

"Get away from her!" Quincey warned, stepping towards them as he clenched his fists "If you so much as lay a hand on her, I'll show you an eternal hell!"

The figure's skeleton hand once again escaped its concealment from beneath its robes. Pointing past Reika at the floating section of the tower, their hand waved to the side as if in dismissal. The floating structure responded by flying back towards the palace, crashing hard into its base of the building, crushing it beneath the force of the fall.

"No…" Reika exclaimed, catching sight of the catastrophe from the corner of her eyes, shooting a cold glare towards the figure "How dare you?" The figure remained silent as it turned back towards the mirror, Reika moving through the air as they did, following the direction of their outstretched hand.

"They're opening the portal!" cried out one of the citizens as the mirror once again began to shimmer with light "They're taking Lady Reika through the Twilight Mirror!"

"Like hell they are!" Quincey snapped, dispersing into his bat-swarm form once more. He charged through the air towards them as Reika and the figure dissolved into countless black particles and disappeared into the mirror's surface. "You can't run from me!" Quincey hissed, his swarm charging the mirror as it dissolved in a similar fashion and vanished into the brilliant light.

The mirror stood tall atop the peak of the mountain-like spire overlooking the vast desert below. Wreathed in a brilliant shimmer of light, black fragments emerged from the mirror, clustering together to form Quincey's swarm. The bats let out deafening shrieks of pain as the sun's rays began to burn their flesh.

Diving to the ground beneath the cover of shadows cast by a large stone that appeared to have once been a part of the structure's walls, Quincey returned to his true form, falling to his hands and knees.

"Fuck" he coughed, steam rolling off his body as he glared back towards the sun that hung high up in the sky "who the hell commits a kidnapping in broad day light?"

"Someone who has no fear of being stopped" replied a voice. Quincey looked about until he caught sight of the man standing under the shadow cast by the mirror.

"Listen, I don't need advice from some sage" Quincey spat as he struggled to his feet.

"I'm no sage" the man corrected "that _thing_ imprisoned all the Sages: that's how it was able to enter your world." Quincey glared back at the man as brushed himself off, loosening the collar of his shirt slightly.

"Do I look like I care about some Sages?" he huffed, shaking his head.

"Well assuming you wish to save that woman it flew off with" the man shrugged, turning his back to him "but I suppose you don't look like you care for her either." Quincey snarled, moving to step towards him, pulling back before stepping into the sunlight.

"How can those sages help me deal with that thing?" he questioned "Didn't that thing already defeat them?"

"They might not be able to help you fight it" the man admitted "but they're the only ones who know the secret to traveling to its world."

"And they won't tell me unless I free all of them, am I right?" Quincey sighed, shaking his head "Needy bastards…"

"You're not the only one who seeks their wisdom you know" the man pointed out as he looked back at him "that _thing_ has brought most all of Hyrule together to search for the Sages with the goal of hunting down that monster."

"What did it have to do to that?" Quincey smirked, crossing his arms over his chest "Kidnap another princess?"

"Princess and a prince, actually" the man corrected "and killed two kings, and destroyed two villages, and flooded the mines of Death Mountain with magma."

"Well, someone's just looking to piss everyone off, aren't they?" Quincey huffed, rolling his eyes "How long did all that take?"

"A couple hours" the man said grimly, looking off into the distance "we can only thank the golden goddesses it didn't get into the Sacred Realm…"

"Why, what's in there?" he questioned. The man was silent a moment before looking back at him.

"If you plan on looking for the Sages, you'll have to head towards Hyrule Castle, west of here" he told him as he turned his back to him "you should be able to find some information about the Sages' whereabouts there."

"Hey, answer my question!" Quincey demanded, clenching his fists.

"If you seek the Sages, our paths may cross again" the man said, looking back at him once more "if you survive until then, I may answer your question." As Quincey went to speak, the man was engulfed in a cloud of smoke that seemed to erupt from the ground beneath him. Quincey rolled his eyes as the smoke subsided, the man no longer there.

"Fuckin' ninjas" Quincey grumbled as he glared back at the sun, leaning back against the slab providing him shade "disappearing when they get cornered in conversation, and not answering your questions… Why would he bring it up if he wasn't gonna talk about it…"

The pair of double doors of the large chamber flew open, the robed figure drifting into the room. The walls to their left and right were each decorated with blue and black curtains over three windows on either side. On the opposite end of the room rested a large throne, surrounded by elaborate stone statues and elegant cloth decor.

Reika drifted into the room after them; still struggling against the invisible force they held her body in place. The doors of the chamber closed behind them as the figure reached the center of the room, Reika dropping to the floor as she was freed from the force that had held her.

"Where have you taken me?" Reika demanded as she struggled to her feet, glaring back at the figure as they turned towards her. She glared at them a moment longer as she went to step forward "Answer me!"

The figure drifted away from her as she came to a stop against an unseen wall of force. She banged her fist against the barrier in rage as the figure took a seat at the throne, resting their arms along the arms of the throne. "What the hell? Let me go, god damn it!" Reika snapped through clenched teeth, her eyes locked in a cold glare.

"I can't do that" said the figure, his voice quiet and rattled sent a shiver down Reika's spine, causing her to shiver "but if you would calm down I can answer your question…" Reika sighed, crossing her arms over her chest as the figure watched her quietly.

"Alright, fine." she huffed, tapping her foot impatiently "Just tell me where I am."

"You are atop Ikana Canyon of the Termina country" the figure explained, a pair of healthy, human hands sliding out from beneath the sleeves of his robes as he leaned back in his seat.

"And why am I here?" Reika questioned, rolling her eyes as she tilted her head to the side in annoyance.

"I am under orders to keep you, along with several others, captive here" the figure told her drearily "though I am permitted to give you choice regarding how you will be treated while captive."

"Just tell me my options then" Reika sighed, shaking her head irritably.

"If you attempt to escape or otherwise act un-wildly and improper while in my home, you will be kept in a small cell under constant surveillance" he began "if you choose to be cooperative, however, you will be free to roam three this structure's floors and do as you please with a reasonable amount of privacy."

"How much space would I get?" she asked, tilting her head curiously as she let her hands fall to her sides.

"The cell would be 20 feet by 20 feet with a small bed and a hole in the floor to use as a restroom" he replied "if you choose to act as my guest, you'll be given your own room and a separate area to use as your restroom. While there will be guards at all exits, you will be permitted to go wherever you please across three separate floors of my home and be treated as well, if not better than, you would be at your own home with a reasonable amount of freedom to do as you wish."

"I'd like to be treated as a guest" she told him, bowing her head respectfully "I am a princess after all… You are aware of this, yes?"

"I am well aware of your position and appreciate your decision" he replied, his tone becoming mildly more pleasant as he got his feet "for the remainder of your stay here, you will be treated as my guest and may call me Zmiaj."

Smiling nervously, Reika nodded and went to step forward, feeling for the barrier that had previously held her back. Zmiaj stepped towards her as he made his way across the room, holding a hand out to her.

"Allow me to show you to where you'll be staying" he said almost happily.

"T-thank you…" she replied shakily, taking his hand with a sense of uneasiness.

"You have no need to be afraid" he assured her, gently shaking her hand "I am under orders to unsure you aren't harmed and to treat you well if you are willing to act as a proper guest in my home." Reika remained silent, nodding only slightly as she down at the floor.

Releasing her hand, the robed figure walked past, gesturing for her to follow as he stepped towards the door. They flew open, as if on their own as he approached. Reika looked back into the room as they stepped out to the hall, a sense of terror filling her mind as the doors closed tightly behind them.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: While We're Waiting For Night Fall**

The sun shined brightly over the small town. Children ran about the city, playing various games with the animals that roamed the streets. The adults each did their various jobs: the guards watching the gates, the merchants watching their shops, the mailman delivering letters. The town was full of life in such a peaceful state of tranquility. Just outside the southern gate of town, someone stood alone before a pentagram charred into the ground. The girl was dressed in short black dress that barely passed her thighs with a matching cap atop her head, resembling that of a witch's hat.

Her shoulder-length black hair flowing gently in the breeze, she set the gaze of her deep violet eyes on the pentagram as she raised her hands up to the sky. The wind began to pick up speed as she shut her eyes, the rim of her hat and dress beginning to flutter through the air.

"Encontraste esta pagina" she began to chant, her voice soft yet firm "buscando material sobre…" She repeated these words again and again, her voice picking up speed and volume with each repetition.

As her words rang through the sky, a dim sphere formed before her. Floating above the pentagram, it slowly began to grow, a swirling blend of crackling lightning and flickering flames forming a large portal. Easily twice the girl's size, the gate showed a glimpse of the horrific realms beyond, it's echoing shrieks of pain and sadistic laughs of unspeakable terrors erupting from within.

Stepping out of this otherworldly gate came a tall, slim, though by no means frail, man. He wore a long black and red cloak, the front of which was loosely held together by a set of three golden chains, the interior fabric a sickening blood red. Beneath this was a red shirt with black designs and a pair of black baggy pants.

Running a hand through his neck-length black hair, his piercing red eyes looked around him as he took in the surrounding area. The gate shrank and disappeared as the wind died down again, the girl looking up at him with confidence in her eyes. Finally turning his gaze to meet hers, the two of them stared at one another in a long moment of silence, each giving the other a curious look over.

"So" the girl said, breaking the silence "you're Nenshoeu?"

"Yes" the man replied, holding a hand out to greet her "and you are?"

"I am Soriana!" she told him with an enthusiastic smirk, taking his hand firmly as she shook it "And I have summoned you here to make a pact!"

"Alright" he nodded with a casual tone "what kind of pact did you have in mind?"

"I wish to become a warlock!" she said with a sinister snicker, an eerie grin crossing her face "To have mastery over your demonic energies to bring chaos to the world!"

"Sounds tempting" he agreed, continuing to nod "but what's in it for me?" Her grin disappearing from her face, she blinked as she looked back at him in a moment of confusion.

"What's in it for you…?" she repeated "Don't you just claim my soul when I die or something?"

"Well souls don't really hold much value to me" he explained, moving to walk along the lines of the pentagram in a circular pace before her "they're hard to contain and their value's greatly depreciated over the last millennia."

"Oh…" she replied with a disappointed tone, lowering her head as she looked toward the ground "Umm… What do you normally take as payment then?"

"Whatever suits me at the time" he replied, coming to a stop as he turned to face her fully "right now I'm looking for some information: maybe you could help me with that?"

"Well, what do you need to know?" she asked, looking up at him curiously.

"Well for starters, where am I?" he asked, looking around at his surroundings "Obviously this isn't my home."

"We're in Termina Fields" she explained "just outside of Clock Town."

"Clock Town?" he repeated with a puzzled tone "And where's that?"

"Uh…" she paused for a moment as she looked around "North of the swamp?"

"You're really awesome at this, aren't you?" he said with a sarcastic tone, a sly smirk crossing his face.

"Well excuse me for not knowing I was summoning the only demon in all of Hell who doesn't accept souls for payment!" she snapped, putting her hands on her hips "And I though this would be a lot more exciting, not some boring business call!"

"Oh, and what do you consider exciting?" he asked, stepping towards her as he slid a hand into his cloak.

"Well, watching you step out of the gate was pretty amusing" she admitted with a shrug "though I was expecting something a little more intimidating."

"Intimidating…?" he began, his voice taking on a diabolic chill as he continued to speak "Well if all you wanted was a little scare, you should've said so in the first place!" With each, his true nature became clearer as his body began to change. Dark energy crackled across the pentagram as a brilliant light engulfed them; as if reality itself could not bear to witness his transformation.

When the light faded, his true form now stood before her with scythe in hand, held against her throat. His body now covered in fine, black scales, his hair extending down his back to his waist and sharp claws extending off his finger tips, he now looked down at her through the now black sclera of his blood red eyes.

Her eyes wandered from the fiendish blade at her throat to the eerie black mist that now filled the air around them: she seemed lost for words. Finally turning her gaze to meet his, a sly grin came across her face.

"Now this is more like it" she said with an almost seductive tone as she ran a finger across the blade's edge "how about we get back to negotiating the terms of that pact?"

"This may be the start of a beautiful relationship" he exclaimed with a surprisingly joyous tone, or at least as joyous as his spine chilling voice could get "it's been far too long since I'm last met a mortal with such, eh… How should I put this? Vigor?" His form returned to its former shape as he offered his arm out to her "What do you say we take our discussion to someplace a little more private?"

"And what blasphemy is this?" came an enraged snarl from behind him. Turning towards the voice, the two of them looked up at the broad man who now stood a few feet away from them. The man was dressed in a suit of golden armor, a silver sword in one hand and a shield of brilliant light in his other.

"And whatever would you mean by that, kind sir?" Nenshoeu asked with a sarcastic grin, making a mockery of the man with an over exaggerated bow. "Fuck off _knave_" he huffed as he stood upright, turning his attention back to Soriana "I'm busy."

"You mistake me for someone who will be ignored, maggot of a man" the man warned, raising his blade as he pointed it towards them "stooping so low as to use your vile tricks on the mind of an ignorant child: that's low even for scum such as you!"

"If you must know, she's the one who brought me here" he told him, turning back to the man with an irritable tone and expression "and my 'vile tricks' are nothing compared things you do to those who enter your religious cults!" Nenshoeu now faced the man fully, his hands clenched in tight fists "Now stand down, or I'll show you pain and suffering the likes of which that pathetic little cesspool you call a mind could even comprehend!"

"As if I could be convinced one as pathetic as you would ever pose _me_ a threat!" the man laughed, cracking an enthusiastic grin "Your kind are so pathetically predictable, but I suppose you've amused me enough that I may grace you with the presence of _real_ power!"

In one quick movement, Nenshoeu drew a pair of pistols from beneath his cloak. Aiming at the boastful man's head, he fired off countless shots, each wreathed in a sickly violet flame and crackling orange static.

The man's smirk only widened as he laughed, raising his blade to the sky. When the bullets met his helm, the sound of shattering glass could be heard with each blow as they ricocheted off the layer of blue light that seemed to cover the man wherever they hit.

"What a quaint little trick" he boomed, his eyes beginning to glow a brilliant golden yellow "how's about I show you one of mine?" With a sudden flash of light, the man's body became incased in an array of illuminating energies: his armor and body as blue as his ice, his shield glowing emerald green and his sword wreathed in a fiery red aura.

"Soriana" Nenshoeu said firmly, quickly putting away his guns "shit's about to get real!"

"What…?" she asked with a confused expression, looking up at him, puzzled.

"Judging by the amount of divine energy radiating off this guy, he's gonna pack one hell of a punch!" he explained, a familiar scythe materializing in one hand while a katana shrouded in demonic presence appeared in his other as he once again transformed into the demonic shape of his true form "Head into town and I'll find you later!" Without giving her time to respond, he leapt forward, charging the shining warrior as the two entities swung their blades at one another's throat. The roar of clashing metal echoed through the air, each blow causing a wave of brilliant light to engulf everything around them.

Soriana fell back, holding her arms over her face to shield her eyes. She struggled to watch the two entities before her, determined to witness their battle despite the obvious futility of her attempts.

Amidst the brutality of the two forces' wraths, the figure seemed to appear behind Soriana as having formed out of thin air. Engulfed in her determination, she was all the more struck with inexplicable terror when she felt a skeletal hand come to rest on her should. Slowly looking back to see its origins, she froze at the sight of the robed figure towering over her.

"Who are you?" she questioned, her voice shaky as her body began to tremble.

"Who I am is of no concern" replied their rattled voice as the violet glow of their unseen eyes pierced both the shadows of their hood and the pulsing lights that filled the air "it's what I want that you should be worried about."

Reika sat in silence at the small circular table at the center of the room. A glorious dining hall decorated in blue and yellow décor, the light coming in through the many windows reflecting off the fine-cut diamonds that added to the assumed 'class' of the chamber. She sat motionless in her seat, facing the other two, equally quiet and unmoving figures who sat at the table.

The young girl to her left had long, dirty blonde hair that just passed her shoulders, a pair of well kept braids hanging loosely on either side of her face. He sapphire blue eyes looked down at the frilly tea set that rested on the table before them atop a white table cloth that reached the floor. She was dressed in an elegant white and purple dress, making her the only one of the three who didn't appear out of place.

The boy to her right was a peculiar sight. His skin was a mix of pale blues and whites, with various purple patterns. His head, as the rest of his body appeared to be, was completely void of hair and was in fact elongated at the back in shape of a fish, with even a small orange fin at the upturned tip. A pair of orange fins could be seen just above each of his elbows and his green feet resembled flippers. His green eyes constantly shifted from staring down at the table to looking between the two women at the table, clearly much younger than either of them.

"Well" Reika said, finally breaking the silence as she adjusted the black gown she still wore, which did little to conceal her flawless figure "I don't know about you two, but I'm going to have some tea before it gets cold." The other two watched quietly as she took the kettle from the center of the table and poured some of its contents into the empty glass in front of her. Before replacing it she looked around at them "You two want any?"

"No thank you" the girl replied, holding a hand up in front of her as she shook her head.

"I'll pass…" the boy assured her, looking back at the girl before returning his gaze to Reika.

"Suit yourselves" Reika shrugged, putting the kettle back down before looking around at the table. A look of annoyance crossing her face, she looked about the room, snapping her fingers in irritation "Server!"

Seemingly phasing up out of the floor next to her, a tall skeletal figure dressed in a black suit, resembling that of a butler's, stood over her.

"Yes, madam?" it asked courteously, bowing its head to her respectfully.

"What is this?" she asked with a sour huff, pointing at the cup before her.

"Herbal tea, madam" the skeleton replied, looking from the beverage back to her "is that not to your likings?"

"You would serve us tea, without putting out sugars and creams?" she questioned, crossing her arms over her chest furiously.

"My apologies, madam" it replied with a bow, sailing across the floor towards one of the doors "I shall make haste to the kitchen and fetch them for you."

"I should hope so" she said with a nod, turning back to the table as she picked up the cup and began to sip its contents.

"I thought you wanted sugar and cream?" the boy asked curiously, tilting his head in confusion.

"I never said I wanted any" Reika assured him, smiling sweetly "but a good host always accommodates for their guests' tastes and I for one expect the exceptional service I was promised when I arrived here."

"You're here of your own choosing?" the girl questioned, looking her over with uncertainty.

"Yes and no" she replied, replacing her cup on the table as the skeleton returned, placing a pair of small glass containers on the table next to the kettle "I was brought to this place against my will, but I chose this over a cell for the duration of my captivity."

"You were kidnapped too?" the boy asked, looking back at her in what seemed like amazement.

"Yes I was" Reika nodded as the skeleton vanished back down into the floor "it was right after I woke-up, that's why I'm not dressed."

"So am I to presume you're royalty as well, then?" the girl asked calmly.

"Why yes I am" Reika said proudly with a smile "I'm Reika, the Twilight Princess."

"I am Princess Zelda of the Hyrule Royal Family" the girl stated, bowing her head respectfully.

"It's a pleasure to meet you" Reika assured her, holding out a hand to her.

"Likewise" Zelda replied with a faint smile, gently shaking her hand.

"And who would you be?" Reika asked, looking back at the boy.

"I am Prince Ralis" he said shyly, a faint blush crossing his face "I'm the heir to Zora Domain's monarchy."

"Well I'm glad to meet you both" Reika assured them with a smile as she took another sip of her tea "so I guess it's safe to presume you were both kidnapped as well; care to tell me how it happened?" The two of them paused a moment, looking down at the table as a grim sense of dread crept into the air. Reika put her cup down as she looked down at the table as well, a sense of guilt engulfing her "I'm sorry…I shouldn't have-"

"My father and I were in the middle of a knighting ceremony" Zelda said finally, lifting her head up "as he was about to grant the soldier his title, that robed man came crashing through the wall." She paused for a breath before continuing "He impaled each of the guards on their own blades before turning his attention on me. My father tried to protect me, but that monster… He used some kind of spell or some other horrific power…" A tear ran down her cheek as she closed her eyes "I can still remember his blood splattering against me…"

"He killed my father too…" Ralis said drearily, lowering his head "He tore his head from his shoulders with those skeletal hands…" He shook his head as he wiped away the tears that were forming in his eyes "I saw him rip the spine out of one the guards who tried to protect me and my mother… I begged for him to stop, so he told me if I went with him my mother and the rest of my people would be spared."

"That's horrible…" Reika said through clenched teeth, gripping her cup tightly "Who does he think he is?" The other two looked up at her as she got to her feet, tears streaming down her face as she slammed her hands against the table. "I swear that bastard's going to pay!" she cried "For what he's done to your people and mine! I'll kill him with my own bare hands if I have to!"

There was a long silence between the three of them, not one of them saying a word. Reika took a deep breath before swallowing, sitting back down as her hand felt around the table.

"Server?" she shakily, placing one hand on her lap while the other rested a finger on the crown of her nose.

"Yes, madam?" returned the skeleton's voice as it returned to her side.

"Where are the napkins?" she asked calmly, her eyes closing.

"I shall fetch you some, madam" it replied before disappearing once more through the door. She let out a faint sigh, shaking her head as she struggled a smile, looking back at the others.

"Really" she said with almost a laugh "you just can't get good service around here."


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Bar Night Hero**

The bar was full of life that night, not a single table was empty and the strong smell of alcohol filled the air. Each table had a different group surrounding it, every one of them toasting to an individual who planned to set out in search of the Sages the following morning. It was a night for celebrating would-be-heroes who would set out on their quest to avenge their fallen comrades.

Amidst the drunken thrill of the room, one young boy sat alone at the counter as the barkeep weaved around the tables to deliver more drinks. He was dressed in a navy blue short-sleeved tunic over a thin white sweater and a pair of loose-fitting white pants. A blue cap rested over his thin, neck-length black hair atop his head and a black belt around his waist held his outfit securely in place.

Slouched forward with his head hanging low and both hands holding the mug on the counter in front of him, his pale blue eyes stared drearily at floor beneath him. A faint sigh escaped his lips as he took a sip of his drink, his fingerless violet gloves damp with the cup's condensation.

The door to the building flew open as he replaced his cup on the counter, the entire room going silent. The boy looked up and around, quickly following everyone's gaze to the doorway as a sense of uneasiness overcame all of them.

The closing behind him, in stepped a pale man dressed in an exotic, gothic looking outfit, the cloths a blend of blacks, silvers and lavenders. His pale violet hair was wet with fresh rain water that dripped to the floor as he stepped forward, making his way towards the counter. The man's blood red eyes glanced around as he passed his onlookers, taking a seat a few stools away from the boy.

The barkeep moved around and behind the counter as she made her to the man, placing the tray she'd been carrying down on the counter a few feet from them.

"How can I help you?" she asked, looking the man over with a suspicious expression.

"I'll have a Bloody Marry" he told her, brushing a strand of hair from his face.

"That'll be twenty-eight rupees" she told him, holding a hand out to him.

"Rupees?" he repeated, giving her a look of confusion as he leaned back in his seat "You don't accept gold pieces?"

"Gold pieces?" the woman laughed, shaking her head "Listen honey, I don't know where you're from, but here in Hyrule Proper, we use rupees and if you ain't got any of those, you won't be able to do much 'round here."

"Rupees huh…" he said with a nod "Alright, where can I find some of these 'rupees'?"

"Well you could look for work here in town" she explained, the rest of the bar returning to its party-like atmosphere "once you've gotten your hands on a few rupees that way, you can also try out some of the attractions here in town. They're a bit of a gamble since you're a newcomer, but if you can the hang of them you can earn a good living off the prizes they award."

"Well what kind of work is there?" he asked.

"Oh, all kinds of things" she told him with a laugh "people are always looking for people to do odd jobs for them here and there."

"Alright" he said, running a hand through his hair "you know of anyone is particular who's looking to hire?"

"Not at the moment I'm afraid" the woman admitted, shaking her head "most everyone's getting ready for tomorrow, so I doubt you'll find anyone to earn rupees from tonight, unless…"

"Unless what?" he asked, raising a brow.

"Well, you could ask Kino over there" she suggested, pointing the boy out to him "he may not look it, but he's a pretty resourceful little guy. He's here every night and spends all he's got, but always seems to have a full wallet when he comes in the next night."

"Thanks, I'll give him a try" he replied, getting to his feet. The woman nodded as he made his way over, taking a seat next to Kino. "Hey" he greeted him, tilting his head to look him in the eyes "I'm told you're the one I should talk to about getting some rupees." The boy looked up from his drink at the man, giving him a quick look over with an unenthusiastic expression.

"You need rupees?" he asked, giving him an odd look "Ya, I can get you some… But what benefit do I get out of getting you them?"

"Well you have any jobs you need done or are looking for something in particular I could get for ya?" the man asked.

"I don't really need help with anything" Kino admitted, looking back down at his drink "and I'm not looking for anything someone can just hand to me…"

"What _are_ you looking for then?" the man insisted, irritation building up in his tone.

"Listen, uh…" the boy paused a moment as he looked back at the man "What's your name?"

"Quincey" the man told him bluntly, tapping his fingers against the counter impatiently.

"Listen, Quincey" Kino huffed, sitting upright "I'm really not in the habit of bargaining with people over what I do, so how's about I just show you what I do and you try it out for yourself, alright?"

"Fine" Quincey agreed, getting to his feet again "let's go then." Kino sighed, rolling his eyes as he got up, quickly finishing the last mouthful of his drink.

"Okay, I just need to pick up a few things and then I'll meet you at the bridge outside the city" Kino told him as he stretched his arms out to the sides "I should be there in half an hour, so if you need to stop anywhere yourself do it now."

"Not like I can do anything with no rupees" Quincey pointed out, the two of them heading for the door.

"Don't worry" Kino told him as they stepped out into the streets, a heavy rain blanketing the city "if you follow my method, you'll never have to worry about rupees again."

The rain came down hard over the vast fields beyond the castle walls. Despite the foul weather, several monstrous looking beasts still roamed these grassy plains, constantly on the watch for anything smaller than themselves to have for their next meal. A small group of the creatures raised their heads as they caught sight of the small green glow that sailed overhead.

Her scales letting off a bright green light, the diminutive little dragon flew towards the castle. With butterfly-like wings carrying her reptilian form as quickly as they could, her amethyst eyes were locked on the castle gates with unnerving determination.

From the trees of the fields below, a pair of hungry red eyes locked onto the sprite's glow. Spreading their feathered black wings, they took to the sky, shooting into the air. The small dragon blinked, quickly glancing back at the sound of the beast's flapping wings, an amused grin crossing her face.

"Oh, does someone want to play?" she asked with a sinister tone as she spun around to face the beast, darting upward. The beast flew past her, slowing to turn around as it realized its error. As it did so, the small dragon dove towards it, inhaling a large breath. When the creature was fully turned to face her, she exhaled a small cloud of sparkling gas into the beasts' face.

The creature's eyes widened as it shook its head, drifting back into the air as the gas began to take effect. The dragon's grin widened as she flew up to it, poking the monster's nose. Its eyes both now focused on the tip of the beast's face, beginning to drop back to the ground as it forgot about its, no longer flapping, wings.

The little dragon laughed to herself as she rolled her eyes, looking around to reestablish her sense of direction.

"Now… Which way is north again?" she muttered, crossing her front legs over her chest like a human would cross their arms "Great, now I'm lost! Stupid winged behemoth…"

As she spoke to herself, another winged beast dropped out from the cover of the clouds, its yellow eyes locked on her glow. The small dragon paused a moment, looking back as she caught a glimpse of the beast heading towards her.

"Another one?" she groaned, rolling her eyes as she shot back into the air. Looking back, a puzzled look crossed her face when the beast could no longer be seen. "I could've sworn…" she began, he sentence cut short by the bellowing cry from above her. Looking up she spotted several more of the creatures coming down on her in a blood-thirsty charge. "Oh crap!" she exclaimed, dashing off in one direction at full speed. The beasts curved through the air as they continued their pursuit of her glow.

As the chase ensued, the small dragon looked back, launching a puff of the sparkling gas at her pursuers. Her attackers sailed around the small cloud, quickly picking up their pace as they began to close the gap between them. "This isn't good" she winced, looking back to watch where she was going. Her eyes opened wide as she came to an abrupt halt, looking up at the looming figure before her.

The beasts behind her came to a similar stop, frozen in terror at the sight of the every shifting shape before them. The mass let out several deafening screeches as it dispersed into countless bite-like forms, sailing past the small dragon and encircling the beasts. The dragon spun around, watching as the beasts tried to escape, letting out cried of pain as the bats clung to their bodies and dug their fangs into their flesh.

"Well fuck" the dragon muttered, watching quietly as the beasts dropped from the sky, one by one. Once all the creatures were slain, the swarm followed after them towards the ground. Biting her lower lip in curiosity, the little dragon cautiously followed after the swarm towards the grassy fields below.

Kino watched as several winged beasts dropped to the ground before him. He nodded contently as the swarm of bats followed after, regrouping to rebuild Quincey's human-like form.

"Not bad" Kino told him, resting a hand on the hilt of the blade on his belt "you should get a fair number of rupees out of these."

"Out of these?" Quincey repeated, neither of them noticing the small dragon who watched them from above "You mean as in inside them?"

"Well ya" Kino replied, walking over to the pile of slain beasts as he lifted one out of the pile "what did you think I sold the skins or something?"

"Why do they have gems inside them?" Quincey questioned, shaking his head in disbelief.

"No idea" Kino admitted with a shrug, cutting one of the beasts open with his sword "they don't always have rupees, mind you. Sometimes they have arrows, or potions, or other weird stuff."

"That's… Oddly convenient" Quincey pointed out, stepping over as he began to tear open another one of the creatures "so I can just kill stuff for resources when I'm out here."

"Ya, Hyrule is an adventurer's paradise" Kino laughed, prying a fist-sized blue gem from creature's stomach "do you know how the rupee system works?"

"There's a system?" Quincey questioned, looking over at him.

"Ya, green rupees are value one, blue rupees are value five, red rupees are value twenty, purple rupees are value fifty" he explained "silver rupees are value one-hundred and orange, or yellow, rupees are value two-hundred."

"Huh… I'll try to remember all that" Quincey nodded, rolling his eyes.

"Hey, I don't make the rules, okay?" Kino reminded him as he began cutting open another corpse "That's just how it is."

The two of them continued to rip various colored gems and other objects of mild value from the beasts' corpses. The little dragon, still watching quietly, cautiously moved closer to them. Once she was level with their heads she floated over between them both.

"Uh, excuse me?" she said in hopes of getting their attention. The two of them looked up from what they were doing at the floating green light before them.

"What's that, a fairy?" Quincey questioned, looking back at Kino in confusion.

"A sprite of some kind, I believe" Kino replied, keeping his attention on the little dragon "though I don't know why we'd see one so far out of Ordon Forest…"

"My _name_ is Krynne" she grumbled, giving them each an annoyed glare "and I'm here because I was sent by Ordona."

"Ordona?" Quincey repeated, looking from her to Kino "What's an Ordona?"

"Ordona is the Spirit of Light of the Ordon Province" Kino explained, looking from Quincey back to Krynne "and if a Spirit of Light has sent a message it must be for the Royal Family…"

"Yes!" Krynne replied, floating over to his shoulder "Do you know where I can find them?"

"Well, normally I'd send you to Hyrule Castle, which is at the center of town" Kino said grimly, a sigh escaping his lips "but currently no member of the Royal Family is present."

"What?" Krynne exclaimed "Why not?"

"The town was attacked recently" he explained, looking down "some guy covered in robes showed up and smashed through the roof of the castle… He killed the king and kidnapped princess Zelda, who's now the only member of the Royal Family."

"Oh dear…" she said drearily, lowering her head.

"That the same thing that sealed away the Sages?" Quincey asked.

"Ya, that's the one" Kino replied, looking back at him "why?"

"Well, I'm supposed to gather up these Sage bastards so they'll tell me where to find this guy" Quincey explained "once I find them all, supposedly they'll tell me where this guy is so I can go kick his ass."

"The Sages?" Krynne interrupted "I know about them!"

"You do?" Quincey questioned, looking back at her "You know where they've been sealed away?"

"Well, not all of them" she admitted "but I do know where the Forest Sage is! The Spirit told me it was being held by the giant monster that's infecting our home!"

"Alright, well I don't you show me the way?" Quincey asked, getting to his feet "You show me where to find this Sage and I'll take out this giant monster that's terrorizing your forest."

"Sounds good to me!" Krynne agreed, flying over to his shoulder "What's your name?"

"Quincey" he told her "Quincey Xarann."

"Cool name" she nodded, looking back at Kino "and what about you?"

"Me?" he asked, blinking in surprise "Oh, uh, Kino…"

"He coming with us?" Krynne asked, looking back at Quincey.

"Sure, why not" Quincey shrugged "I could use a pack mule."

"Actually, I have stuff I need to take care of here in town…" Kino assured them, shaking his head "I really shouldn't…"

"Oh come on" Quincey huffed, waving a hand in dismissal "all you do is hunt for trinkets from monsters and go blow it at the bar anyway. You'll be doing the same with us, so you might as well tag along so you can have a change of scenery."

"Ya, come with us" Krynne insisted "I'm sure the Spirit would reward you if you helped deal with that monster and freeing a Sage will help your city get the princess back!"

"I guess…" Kino said hesitantly, glancing back towards the city "The barkeep's the only one who'd really notice if I was gone, so…"

"Good" Quincey interjected "it's settled then. Let's get moving!" He turned to Krynne, nodding to her eagerly "Lead the way!"

"Got it!" Krynne replied happily, flying out ahead of them as she guided them through the rain. Kino sighed, shaking his head as him and Quincey began walking after her.

"This is gonna be a long trip" he muttered.

"Hey" Quincey snapped, glaring back at him "I don't wanna hear whining the entire time, alright? So either cheer up or shut up."

"Sorry" Kino replied, looking him over with a raised brow.

"That's right" Quincey nodded, looking ahead again as they moved forward "now let's go find this monster. I really need to kill something!"


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Tending To Tools**

A throbbing pain rang through his head. He slowly began to open his eyes, sitting upright as he placed a hand against his forehead. His vision returning to him, Nenshoeu looked around at the strange room he'd awakened it. The walls and floor were stone, with blue drapes covering the walls and a violet carpet blanketing the floor.

Resting in a small bed, he moved his feet over the side of it as he gave the room another look over. Along one wall was a lone door and resting atop the dresser next to the bed was his shirt and cloak. Looking down to realize he was dressed only in his pants, he peeled off the bandages that had been wrapped around various parts of his upper body.

"Where the hell am I?" he questioned, tossing the strips of cloth to the floor beneath his feet.

"You're awake?" came the voice from the doorway. He looked over to see a man standing across from him, his eyes giving him a concerned expression.

"Ya" Nenshoeu replied with a suspicious nod, reaching for his shirt as the man entered the room. His skin was a pale, blue-tinted white color that had a leathery texture to it and instead of hair he appeared to have what looked like the tentacles of an octopus growing from the top of his head.

"That's good" the man said with a sigh of relief, closing the door behind him "it seems your wounds have healed rather quickly."

"Ya" Nenshoeu assured him with a nod, pulling on his shirt "they tend to do that."

"Let's hope it stays that way…" the man muttered, his pale red eyes glancing towards the floor as he knelt down to pick up the bandages.

"What do you mean by that?" Nenshoeu questioned, looking back at him as he reached for his cloak.

"You mean you haven't felt its effects yet?" the man asked curiously, holding the bandages in his arms now "You must have quite the threshold."

"Felt the effects of what?" Nenshoeu asked suspiciously, giving the man a grim glare "Who are you anyway? And where am I?" Before the man could respond, the throbbing pain he'd awakened to too returned, this time with far more overwhelming effects.

"Are you alright?" the exclaimed, dropping the bandages as Nenshoeu winced in pain, cupping his hands over his ears.

"Fuck!" Nenshoeu growled, shaking his head in pain as he fell back onto the bed, orange sparks running across his body. The man stepped away, watching in shock as the static jumped about wildly, leaping onto the bed, though with seemingly no effects. Nenshoeu let out another cry of pain before the throbbed stopped, his arms collapsing at his sides as he began to breathe heavily.

"It appears the curse is taking its effect…" the man said wearily, watching Nenshoeu in dread.

"What curse?" Nenshoeu groaned as he sat up again, looking back at the man irritably "And why do I keep getting this throbbing in my head?"

"The curse laid on you by that holy man's wrath" he told him grimly, turning his back to him as he stepped towards the opposite wall.

"That son of a bitch cursed me?" Nenshoeu snapped, getting to his feet "Where the hell is he? I'll pay him back in full!"

"You're in no condition to face him now" the man told him, looking back at him "he'd crush you with a single blow of his sword in your current state."

"Fucking coward" Nenshoeu huffed, shaking his head "couldn't beat me on even terms, so he has his god lay a curse on me to give him the edge…"

"You're not the only one who's caught that bastard's attention" the man told him through clenched teeth, clenching his fists at his sides.

"What do you…" Nenshoeu began, quickly looking around "Wait, where's Soriana?"

"If you mean the young witch, he's captured her" he told him, looking back at him "knowing his kind, he's probably already brought her to be brainwashed by an agent of his cults!"

"That settles it then" Nenshoeu said sternly, clenching his fists as he stepped towards the man "tell me how to break this curse so I can go show that prick what happens when people try to pull this shit on my watch!"

"If you want to lift the curse, you'll need to rid him of his power source" the man told him, turning to face him fully now "to do that you'll need to eliminate his figure heads, the Six Sages of Hyrule."

"Alright" Nenshoeu nodded, crossing his arms over his chest "how do I find them?"

"They're currently scattered across the cotenant of Hyrule" the man explained "to get there, you'll have to take the secret passage beneath the Clock Tower of Clock Town east of here."

"Thanks" Nenshoeu nodded, heading towards the door.

"Be careful" the man warned as he stepped through the doorway "the Sages will be guarded by horrific monsters and have convinced most of Hyrule that they're their ally. You'll more than likely come across agents of their faith who believe they're rescuing them from imprisonment."

"Right…" Nenshoeu nodded, pausing a moment as he looked back at the man in confusion "Wait… They've convinced people to come kill their bodyguards?"

"I'm not sure what their motive is" the man admitted, shaking his head "perhaps they're searching for more powerful minions to replace their aging beasts."

"Fanatics" Nenshoeu sighed, rolling his eyes as he stepped out the door "they just make a world of fuckin' sense." The man watched him go, the door closing behind him as the man knelt down. He began picking up the bandages again as a faint smirk crossed his face.

"Let's see if he lives up to _his_ expectations…" the man said as he got back up to his feet.

"Wait, wait, wait" came Nenshoeu's voice as he stepped back into the room, shaking his head "you still never told me who you were or why you're helping me."

"Oh" the man replied, a slight hint of surprise in his voice "well, my name is Diuqs…"

"Squid backwards…" Nenshoeu coughed, pretending to clear his throat.

"And I'm helping you for two reasons…" the man said, a tinge of irritation in his voice "Firstly, that man has deemed every region surrounding Clock Town, including Clock Town itself, as 'evil' and as such, intends to purge everyone in it in order to 'cleanse' the realm."

"And the second?" Nenshoeu questioned, slightly taken back by the man's answer.

"I happen to a good friend of Soriana" the man explained "and although I'm not strong enough to exact revenge on that bastard for whatever he may have done to her, I must do all I can to ensure you can."

"Okay, that makes sense" Nenshoeu nodded, stepping back out through the doorway "alright, now I'm gonna go break this curse, kick that guy's ass _and_ save Soriana from those fanatical bastards."

"I wish you luck" the man told him, bowing his head politely.

"I don't need luck," Nenshoeu assured him with a smirk "I'm just awesome."

Reika sat quietly in her seat at one end of the long table. Sitting on either side of her, Zelda and Ralis rested in silence at their seats in the massive dinning hall, black and violet drapes decorating the chamber's walls. Several windows revealed the night sky outside, the light of the moon reflecting off their glass cutlery.

"Server" Reika said, breaking the silence "where's our meal?"

"My apologies, madam" the skeleton butler beside her said with a bow of his head "but I'm under order to await your host's arrival."

"Our host?" Zelda questioned, looking over at them "Is someone to be eating with us?"

"Yes, madam" the butler replied, looking over at her "Master Zmiaj wishes to join the three of your for dinner."

"Zmiaj?" Reika exclaimed, shooting a cold glare at the skeleton "What makes him think we would want to eat with the likes of such scum?"

"I must insist you lower your voice, madam" the skeleton replied "it isn't proper for a guest to act so unruly." Reika crossed her arms over her chest, pouting to herself as she leaned back in her seat.

"The least he could do is not keep us waiting" she grumbled under her breath, picking up her fork as she began poking her plate with it. The sound of the double doors flying open caused the three of them to look towards them, the robed figure standing beyond the doorway. They watched in silence as he walked into the room, the doors closing behind him.

"Greetings everyone" he said politely, taking a seat at the end of the table opposite to Reika "sorry to keep you all waiting."

"I should think so" Reika huffed, glaring back at him "if you're going to make us put up with you, you should at least be on time."

"Now, now" he said calmly "let's not get worked up." He sighed softly as he gestured to the butler to go get dinner before looking back at the three others at the table. "Now, I am well aware that each of you share a deep hatred for me and with good reason" he told them "but such emotions are much better kept for a more appropriate time, such as when your respective saviors thwart my master's plans and my efforts are wasted. Then you can experience the joy of seeing me suffer defeat and your hatreds will be satisfied."

"Why do you even bother when you know you're gonna fail?" Reika questioned, looking him over with a sly smirk.

"I am sadly bound to follow my orders" he assured her "if it were up to me, I'd have liked to invite you all here of your own accord." He let out another sigh as several butlers entered the room, each carrying large plates with silver lids. They placed the plates across the table, lifting the lids off of each as they did. A thin layer of steam filled the air as the freshly cooked feast before them was revealed.

"Well, it's a step up from the service at tea" Reika admitted with a nod, watching as they were each served portions from the many plates.

"Would you care for some wine, madam?" the butler at her side asked, presenting her with a large bottle.

"Ooo~" she chimed, taking it from the butler's hands as she looked over the bottle "I'd love to!

"Don't you think we're a tad young for such things?" Zelda asked, looking from Reika to their robed host.

"I shall deny no pleasantries to my guests" he assured her "you will be treated like the royalty that you are, without question."

"M-may I try a glass?" Ralis asked quietly, looking down as he bit his lip nervously.

"But of course" Zmiaj assured him with a laugh, waving a hand to the butlers. Another skeleton came around to Ralis' side with another bottle in hand. Ralis watched in awe as they poured the bottle's contents into his glass, filling it to the rim.

"Enjoy, sir" the butler said, taking a step back. Ralis nodded, taking the glass in both hands before sipping it eagerly. He quickly replaced it on the table, covering his mouth with a napkin as he coughed up what he'd tasted.

"Are you alright?" Zmiaj asked, looking over at him.

"It burns my throat…" Ralis explained, rubbing his neck as he placed the napkin on his plate.

"Perhaps you would prefer to start with a less potent beverage, sir?" the butler asked, taking the glass from the table.

"Yes please" Ralis replied with a nod, looking back at them "thank you…"

"And you, madam?" asked the butler next to Zelda.

"Just water for me, thank you" she assured them with a slight nod.

"Server" Reika hummed, waving down a skeleton as it passed "could you get me something stronger, this one tastes like juice."

"Yes of course, madam" the nodded, disappearing through the doorway. Zmiaj chuckled slightly as he began to eat the food on his plate, each fork or spoon full disappearing beneath the shadows of his hood.

"Will you not remove your hood at the dining table?" Zelda asked, looking over at him as she began to eat as well.

"I'm sorry" he replied, keeping his fork at his plate as he spoke "I'm rather conscious of my physical appearance and it isn't something I like to expose to others."

"You don't like how you look?" Ralis asked, taking a sip of freshly served drink.

"It's slightly more complicated than that" Zmiaj explained, looking back at him "it can be dangerous to let people to see what I look like."

"This wine is _so_ good" Reika interjected, watching as the butler opened a fresh bottle.

"Have you already finished a whole bottle?" Zelda questioned, looking her over with a perplexed stare.

"Hey, I never get to drink this stuff" Reika told her, quickly downing another glass with a grin.

"Why's that?" Ralis asked, glancing over at her curiously.

"My boyfriend Quincey _never_ lets me drink anything alcoholic" she explained, taking a bite of her food as she gestured for the butler to refill her glass "and he never told me why I can't have any!"

"It's a mystery" Zelda admitted sarcastically, rolling her eyes as she looked back at her plate.

"Hey!" Reika snapped, looking back at her with a faint blush across her cheeks "You're lucky Quincey's not here or he'd… Kick your butt, that's what he'd do..."

"Are you sure you're not drinking too much of that stuff?" Ralis asked, watching her nervously "You're getting a bit shaky…"

"Nonsense!" Reika huffed, waving a hand at him in dismissal "I'm just indulging a little."

"As you are all free to do" Zmiaj assured them "I want my guests to enjoy themselves as best they can while in my home."

"Now see that's… That's…" Reika began, placing a hand on her head as she put down her glass "Okay maybe I had too much…"

"Dizzy?" Zmiaj asked, chuckling again.

"J-just a little" she assured him, moving to get up "I'll just go lay down for a bit…"

"I'll have a butler escort you to your room" Zmiaj assured her, waving a hand to one of them.

"Allow me to" Zelda interjected, getting to her feet as she made her way to Reika's side.

"Really, that isn't necessary" he assured her, a concerned tone in his voice.

"I insist" Zelda replied grimly, wrapping an arm around Reika's waist as she led her to the door.

"Okay, bye-bye" Reika called back to Ralis and Zmiaj "I'll talk… Talk to you guys later…" They watched as the two of them made their way into the hallway, Zelda being sure to close the door behind her.

"Come on, let's get you up to your room" she said softly to Reika, leading down the hall. Reika nodded sleepily as they went, stopping occasionally to catch her balance.

Finally stopping at a door, Zelda guided Reika into her room to her bed.

"Hey, be honest with me" Reika murmured, the two of them sitting down on the edge of the bed as Reika looked at her with a deep blush across her face "am… Am I drunk?"

"Yes, very much so" Zelda assured her, holding a hand against her back to keep her sitting upright.

"But I'm still look sexy" Reika replied, giving her a hopeful smile "right?"

"You should lie down" Zelda told her, getting to her feet. Reika smirked up at her as she grabbed her by the arms, pulling them both down onto the bed. "Reika!" Zelda exclaimed, a bright blush crossing her face as she moved to get off of her.

"Oh come on" Reika insisted "I'm just having some fun."

"How can you think of fun-" Zelda huffed, pulling away from her as she straightened out her dress "when we're being held captive by a mass murderer?"

"Oh lighten up" Reika huffed, sitting up as she looked back at her in irritation "you can't just sit here and worry when there's nothing you can do about it."

"You expect me to just forget about all the people who lost their lives trying to protect me?" Zelda snapped, glaring back at her "The people who died to protect _you_?"

"Listen" Reika said firmly looking her sternly in the eyes "our people will have already mourned for what we've lost. When they save us they'll want to celebrate the defeat of a terrible evil that hurt all of us! If you keep depressed, you'll bring the gloom and dread back to your people and it will never fade! If _he_ leaves a permanent scar that you can't begin to help your people heal when you've returned, he wins!"

"Reika…" Zelda said softly, her expression changing from anger to sorrow.

"As royalty we have to stay strong for our people" Reika sighed, looking down at the ground, tears forming at the base of her eyes "no matter how much we miss them or feel helpless… We have to stay strong so that they know we never lost faith in them…"

"I'm so sorry…" Zelda told her as she took a seat next to her "I never thought of it that way…"

"Well now you can" Reika pointed out to her, looking back at her with a slight smile, tears streaming down her cheeks "so quit being all gloomy and depressing!" Zelda smiled sweetly, gently wiping the tears from Reika's face.

"Alright" she said kindly. Reika smiled more, yawning loudly as she flopped down onto Zelda, laying her head on her lap. "R-Reika!" Zelda gasped, looking down at her, a faint blush crossing her face "What are you…?"

"Don't leave me by myself" Reika whimpered, wrapping her around her waist as she buried her face into Zelda's lap "I don't wanna be all alone." Zelda blushed more, a sense of uncertainty filling her mind.

"A-alright" she agreed with a nod, gently wresting her arms around her shoulders "I'll stay."

"Yay!" Reika cheered sheepishly, looking up at her innocently. Zelda smiled back at her, clearing her throat as she took her hands away.

"So, allow me to… Get undressed and we can go to sleep" she said nervously, her blush never fading as she tried to keep her smile.

"Okay" Reika replied sweetly as she sat up, crawling across the bed as Zelda got to her feet. The Hylian princess blushed as she took a breath, slowly undoing her dress from the back. Reika watched curiously, a childish smirk across her face as Zelda let her dress drop to the floor.

"Alright" she said with a breath, turning back to Reika now dressed in only her undergarments "I'm ready for bed now."

"So am I" Reika purred, holding the sheets open for them as she gestured for her to come to the bed. Zelda blushed, approaching hesitantly before laying down on the bed, Reika pulling the sheets over them. "Good night" Reika said softly into her ear, curling up close to her as she rested her head on the pillow.

"G-good night" Zelda replied shyly, taking a breath before closing her eyes. Reika smiled up at Zelda longingly, sliding a hand down and across her slender hips. Zelda gasped at the feel of her touch, looking back at her with a deep blush.

"Shh…" Reika whispered softly, bringing her lips to hers as she slid her fingers under the fabric of Zelda's undergarments. Zelda's eyes opened wide, a soft gasp escaping her lips as Reika's fingers began to caress her passionately.

"Oh, Reika" she whimpered, her body trembling against her touch as he heart began to race inside her chest. Reika's grin widened as she began to kiss down her neck, sliding her fingers into Zelda, causing another moan to escape her lips.

"You're so soft" Reika told her with a seductive tone to her voice, her free hand pulling back her bra as she kissed down her chest. She began moving her fingers around more eagerly inside her as she ran her tongue across her bare chest, Zelda arching her back.

"Oh my god~" she moaned, shutting her eyes as she began pushing against Reika's fingers that were sliding in and out of her. Reika let out an exaggerated moan, teasing Zelda's nipple with her tongue as she brought a hand between her own legs.

"Moan for me princess" Reika purred, sliding her fingers deep into herself as she caressed Zelda's tight, wet insides. Zelda began to pant heavily, one hand pushing Reika's head closer to her as Reika began lightly tugging on Zelda's nipple with the tips of her teeth.

"Reika" Zelda gasped, throwing her head back "I feel like I'm going to explode!"

"Ya, let it out" Reika groaned, gently biting down on Zelda's breast, both of her hands pushing deeper into them both. The sounds of her fingers sliding around inside them mixed in the air with their cries of ecstasy, sweat rolling down both their bodies as their climax built up inside them.

"Ah~!" each of them cried, simultaneously arching their backs as the reached their peaks, their passion erupting from within them. The two of them collapsed next to one another, still panting hard. Wrapping their arms around one another, they kissed each other hard, releasing lustful moans into each other's mouths.

"Oh Reika~" Zelda panted, slowly taking her lips away to catch her breath "I've never felt like this before…"

"Don't worry princess" Reika purred, rolling on top of her, a sinister grin crossing her face as she down at her with hungry eyes "there's _much_ more to come!"


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Salvation of the Forest Sage**

"This is a joke" Quincey huffed, shaking his head as the three of them continued on into the depths of the eerie forest "what kind of seal has guards that can't take more than a single hit?"

"Well they probably weren't expecting a fucking _vampire_!" Krynne pointed out, floating around him hysterically "If I could do half the crap you just pulled, I'd have saved the Sage myself!"

"What can I say?" Quincey replied with a shrug, a cocky grin crossing his face "I'm awesome like that." Krynne rolled her eyes, flying ahead of him.

Trailing a short distance behind them, Kino looked around at the bizarre plant life that surrounded their path. The trees were covered in barbed black leaves, their bark a disturbing mixture of purples and greens. Numerous flowers and shrubs stuck out from the ground beneath their feet, countless little insects racing about aimlessly in the mess of overgrowth.

Feeling rather uneasy, Kino kept his hand on the hilt the sword strapped to his belt. His pointed ears switched at each sound that crept out of the unseen wilds beyond them, his eyes darting around nervously in fear of something catching him off guard.

The sudden sound of a snapping twig caused him to spin around, drawing his blade from its sheath. His eyes open wide, he looked about frantically until his gaze fell to the creature standing in the center of the path. Resembling a large black cat, it looked back at him through, seemingly glowing, red eyes.

"A cat?" Kino muttered under his breath, lowering his blade as he gave the small creature another look over. The feline got up as it let out a faint meow, casually darting past him down the trail. Turning to watch it go, he put away his sword and scratched the back of his head "I didn't know they were native to the forest…"

Heading up the path, Kino caught up to Quincey and Krynne, neither of them seeming to have noticed the black cat-like creature trailing shortly behind them. They had come to a stop, now looking up at a massive curtain of twisting vines and wilting plant life that hung down across their path before them.

"How much ya wanna bet the Sage is being held on the other side of that?" Quincey asked, glancing back at Krynne and Kino.

"More than likely" Kino agreed with a nod, brushing some of his hair out of his face.

"Why would they make it so obvious, though?" Krynne questioned "Wouldn't it be more efficient if we just passed it by without even realizing it?"

"Maybe this is a diversion?" Kino suggested "For all we know, the Sage could be held somewhere beyond all that wildlife around the path we took to get here."

"I'm still checking it out" Quincey replied, stepping forward as he reached out towards it. As he approached, the curtain of plants parted and lifted up and away, revealing a massive opening. "Huh" Quincey smirked, glancing back at them again "looks like they're expecting us." Krynne and Kino gave one another a quick shrug as they followed after Quincey, stepping past the plants into the large chamber-like clearing.

The curtain dropped back down behind them, Quincey looking around at what resembled walls of the area. The floor was littered with withered corpses and dying plant life, pollen filled purple mist coating a fine layer across the ground.

"Looks like we weren't the first ones here" Krynne pointed out, floating over to one of the bodies "I'd say this has been here for awhile."

"Got any cash on it?" Quincey asked, walking over as he glanced down at it.

"Let me check" Krynne replied as she began rummaging through what remained of the corpse's clothing.

Kino rolled his eyes, stretching his arms out over his head as a faint yawn escaped his lips. Taking a heavy breath, he glanced down to see the cat sitting quietly on the floor a few feet away from him. It stared contently towards the ceiling as its tail swayed a seemingly amused smirk across its face. Kino followed its gaze to the ceiling, squinting curiously as he tried to make out the shape hanging there.

"What in the…?" he began, stepping back away from the center of the room.

"Kino?" Quincey asked, looking back at him. Kino watched as the shape began to move, several glowing yellow eyes opening at the horrific creature's head. Eight long, armored legs sprawled out to the sides as the spider-like behemoth began to move, fixing its gaze down on Krynne and Quincey who were directly below it.

"Hey, uh" Kino called out to them, swallowing hard as he drew his sword "we have company!" Quincey and Krynne looked at one another before looking up to see the monstrosity hanging above them, opening its fanged maw as a green ooze dripped down onto the floor between them. Quickly looking down to see the droplet burning into the ground, the two of them darted to either side of the chamber, the massive beast dropping down from the ceiling, crushing what was caught beneath its weight.

"Ok, that's a big bug" Krynne whistled, flying around the creature to Kino's side.

"The Armored Arachnid of Ordon" Kino said shakily, stepping back to avoid the monster's legs "Teragohma."

"You know what this _thing_ is?" Quincey questioned, looking up at the beast as it turned to face him with hungry eyes.

"It's a giant spider in a rock hard exoskeleton that spits acid" he replied, moving to avoid the creature's gaze "I would strongly suggest not standing directly in front of it!"

"Does it have any weak points?" Quincey asked, giving the creature a quick look over.

"Well the gohma-species tend to have sensitive eyes" Kino called back "though they rarely have more than one, so I have no idea whether or not that applies to this particular breed."

"Couldn't hurt to try" Krynne pointed out.

"Hit its eyes, got it" Quincey nodded, diving to the side as the beast lunged towards him, smashing a pair of its massive forelegs into the ground where he'd been standing. Quincey spun around, looking back at the monster with a smirk. The beast leapt towards him once more as he dispersed into his bat-like swarm, reforming atop the behemoth's head.

"Well if that works, this should be quick" Krynne said with a sigh.

"I have a suspicious feeling it won't be that simple…" Kino assured her, watching as Quincey smashed his fist into one of the monster's eyes "I remember there being something about Teragohma that made it an exceptionally potent opponent…"

"Fuck!" Quincey bellowed, pulling his hand back as the arachnid let out a deafening shriek, its body shaking frantically. "Its fucking blood is acid!" Quincey hissed, glaring back down at the creature as he stepped back along its body.

"Should've seen that coming" Krynne laughed, rolling her eyes.

"No, that wasn't what made it a problem…" Kino muttered, looking upward slightly.

"If that's not the _big_ problem, then what is?" Quincey called back in irritation, the flesh around his burns already beginning to heal. Quincey's ears twitched at an odd noise, causing him to look back towards the beast's head in search of its source. His eye twitched as he watched an eyes begin to form over top of the one he'd just destroyed "It can regenerate?"

"No, no…" Kino replied, shaking his head "That wasn't it either…"

"What else could this thing possibly do that's worse than that?" Quincey snapped, shooting a cold glare back at him.

"Those maybe?" Krynne suggested, pointing back up at the ceiling. Quincey looked up, his eyes widening as several tiny versions of the Teragohma dropped from the ceiling.

"Shit!" Quincey yelped, reverting to his swarm shape to avoid the creatures as they dropped onto the behemoth's back around him.

"No, all gohma can produce spawn" Kino assured her "though I'm not sure anyone's every found out what their limit is on how many they can make over any given period of time…" Quincey huffed as he reformed behind the monster, shooting a cold glare at the tiny eyes of its spawn atop its back.

"Alright…" he said through clenched teeth "I have an idea." Krynne watched curiously as Quincey flew back up onto the creature's back, his bat-like shapes tearing away at the little monsters that scurried about. They each cried out in pain before erupting in a splattered mess across the beast's back, a thin coat of ooze-like innards flowing across its body.

"Oh right!" Kino interjected, snapping his fingers "The Teragohma is immune to its own acid and the acid of its offspring!" Each individual bat in Quincey's swarm shot a cold glare back at Kino, sending a sense of dread throughout his body.

"I think he's getting a little pissed" Krynne told him, nudging him on the shoulder slightly. Quincey's swarm hovered in a place a moment longer before flying around to the front of the beast, shrieking wildly at it. The monster snarled before raising the mandibles of its maw as it revealed countless jagged teeth within its jaw.

"What's he doing?" Kino exclaimed as he watched. Quincey's swarm charged forward, diving into the beast's mouth. The arachnid backed up, shutting its jaw in confusion as the last bat disappeared into head. There was a long moment of confused silence as the creature slowly turned to face the others, an uneasiness about its movements.

"What?" Krynne asked, looking up at the beast "Did he taste funny?" As if in response to her question, the monster's eyes opened wide, its entire body beginning to shake uncontrollably. Its body jerking to a sudden stillness, a faint hiss was all the escaped the beast's mouth before it dropped to the floor. Its legs fell limp and all of its sizzled and dissolves, its exoskeleton beginning to deteriorate at a rapid rate.

"Let's see you regenerate that!" Quincey boomed triumphantly as the beast dissolved around him, ooze from the monster's innards dripping down his body "Bitch!"

"What did you just do?" Kino questioned in confusion, shaking his head in disbelief.

"I ripped its fucking brain apart, that's what I did!" he replied with almost a snarl "Showed it what happens when you try to fuck with me!"

"Well, it's dead now, I guess" Kino admitted with a shrug, looking around as its remains continued to break down around them.

"But where's the Sage?" Krynne questioned, looking around curiously. The three of them looked around the room curiously, the absence of the beast appearing to have no effect on their surroundings.

"I guess we should start looking for secret doors or hidden switches" Quincey huffed, shaking head as he moved towards one side of the room. Krynne sighed as she floated up to the ceiling, peeking around at the area the beast had been hanging off of. Kino shrugged as he looked back and around, a puzzled look crossing his face as stepped towards the still sealed exit.

"Where'd that cat go?" he asked quietly, scratching the back of his head as he scanned the room's floor. A loud bang shot through the air, the three of them turning their gaze toward the sound. There was a long moment of silence before a hole opened up in the floor, a tall man dressed in a black cloak stepping out from a spiraling staircase below.

"Why do I have a feeling this isn't one of the Sages?" Quincey grumbled, looking back at the man.

"Because he's not" Krynne assured him, drifting down to hover over him "I'm not even sure this guy's from the forest." The man looked back at them before heading towards exit, walking past Kino casually.

"Wait a minute!" Quincey snapped, stepping forward "Who are you and where do you think you're going?" The man shot a quick glance back at him, a sly smirk across his face.

"Why not ask the Sage?" he suggested with a laugh "I'm sure he's just _dying_ for you to pay him a visit…" The man was quiet a moment as he looked forward again, stepping through the curtain of low hanging plants "Did I really just say that? It must be having more of an effect on me then I thought…"

"I guess that means they're down there" Krynne suggested, looking down the staircase curiously.

"Alright" Quincey huffed, shooting a glare back in the man's direction "I got more important things to do than deal with that guy anyway…" He started down the stairs, Krynne and Kino following close behind him.

At the bottom of the stairs, they came to a door that had clearly been forced open. Another annoyed sigh escaping his lips, Quincey made his way through the destroyed doorway, stepping over the debris as he went.

"What happened in here?" Krynne questioned, looking around curiously.

"Why don't we ask him?" Quincey huffed, turning away as he gestured to the limp figure lying against the wall on the other end of the room. Kino winced at the sight of the elderly man, blood dripping down his face to the pool that had formed beneath him.

"We this sucks" Krynne huffed, crossing her arms over her chest "what are we supposed to do with a dead Sage?"

"We go kick that fucker's ass who thinks he can get away with it" Quincey assured her, stepping back towards the stairs.

"He's probably long gone by now" Krynne pointed out as she followed after him "he got in here without any of us even noticing him, so even if you did catch up, we'd probably never see him…" Kino looked back as he watched them head back up the stairs. Looking back at the fallen Sage once more, he bowed his head in respect before turning away.

"Wait…" came a faint cry from the man. Kino looked back as the man let out several wrenched coughs as he struggled to raise his head.

"He's alive" Kino exclaimed, quickly rushing over to him and kneeling down at his side. Quincey and Krynne came back into the room, looking over at them urgently.

"Please, hear my dying words…" the Sage pleaded, his face soaked in blood that dripped from the wound in his forehead.

"Just tell me how to find the guy who sealed you in here!" Quincey demanded, stepping towards him.

"The knowledge you seek lies with the Sage of Light…" the Sage replied, another violent cough interrupting his words "In order to find them, you must venture to Death Mountain…"

"Are they at Death Mountain?" Quincey asked, taking a heavy breath "Because if you're sending me after another Sage who doesn't know where this guy is, I swear to god…"

"The Sage of Fire is sealed there" the Sage began "though I know not where the other Sages are kept, they may know more…"

"Fuck!" Quincey growled, stomping his foot against the ground "You bastards are gonna make me run around until I find all six of you, aren't you? "

"I'm sorry I can't provide you with anymore information…" the Sage said grimly, lowering his head again "I only hope the other Sages will be of more use to you in your quest to save the princess…"

"Wait, how do you know about Reika?" Quincey questioned, a puzzled look on his face.

"He means Princess Zelda" Kino sighed, shaking his head as he looked back to the Sage "and don't worry, your death will not be for nothing. We'll seek out the Sage in Death Mountain and whatever else it takes to find the princess."

"Thank you…" the Sage said shakily, looking up at Kino hopefully "Now you must go… I fear that man may be after the other Sages as well…"

"Don't worry" Quincey interrupted with a wicked expression "I intend to deal with him personally." The Sage looked back at him and gave him a frail nod, slowly closing his eyes.

"Rest in peace…" Kino said softly, bowing his head in respect as the last of the Sage's life slipped from his body. The three of them looked down at the now lifeless body, Kino getting to his feet.

"Alright, so where's this Death Mountain?" Quincey questioned, looking from Kino to Krynne.

"I believe it's just north-west of here" Krynne replied.

"We can get there from Kakariko Village" Kino told them "its at the base of Death of Mountain and there's a trail leading straight up to the Goron Mines there."

"Let's get moving then" Quincey huffed, heading for the stairs "the sooner we find this Sage the sooner I find that bastard who kidnapped Reika and kick his ass."

"I assume you're still coming with us?" Kino asked, looking over at Krynne "Or did you have some other business in Ordon Forest?"

"Nah, I'm gonna stick with you guys" Krynne assured him with a grin "I love doing fun little adventures like this! Well ya know, aside from the Sage getting killed part…"

"Which reminds me" Quincey said, snapping his fingers "I still have to go catch that cloaked figure and pay him back for that!"

"He's not the kind to hold a grudge, is he?" Kino asked sarcastically as Quincey made his way up the stairs.

"No, no of course not" Krynne replied with laugh, rolling her eyes "he's just the most forgiving vampire to ever live."

"I thought vampires were dead?" Kino questioned.

"Hey ya" she agreed with a nod "you know, if he's dead, and his organs have stopped working, how does he get an erec-"

"Are you guys coming or what?" Quincey hollered back from the top of the stairs.

"Maybe that Reika person's just that good" Kino shrugged, the two of them starting up the stairway "I wonder what she sees in him anyway."

"Maybe he has a sensitive side he only lets her see?" Krynne suggested.

"Ya, right" Kino laughed, shaking his head "and when we save her we'll find her in bed with princess Zelda!"


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Truth from the Sun**

The sun crept up over the tops of the surrounding mountains into the sky. Its light shined down on the massive fortress that lied atop the canyon's surface, its rays reflecting off the river that ran down it.

The sun's light poured in through the open window of the chamber, its warmth crossing the room to the bed where Reika and Zelda slept. Feeling the light on her face, Reika slowly rolled onto her back as she opened her eyes drearily.

"Oh, my head…" she groaned, placing a hand over her forehead. Zelda looked over, awakened by the sound of Reika's voice.

"You alright?" she asked, gently moving to wrap her arms around her waist. Reika looked back at her with wide eyes, a sense of dread falling over her.

"Z-Zelda…?" she muttered, a faint blush crossing her face as she pulled away from her slightly.

"What's wrong?" Zelda asked, looking up at her with a look of concern.

"Why…" she began, looking down at their bodies, her blush worsening as she saw they were both naked "What happened last night?"

"Y-you don't remember…?" Zelda questioned worriedly, sitting up right.

"N-no…" Reika admitted, shaking her head nervously. Zelda moved away from her, biting her lip as she looked away. Reika tilted her head, wincing at the throbbing pain in her head as she replaced her hand on her head "Ugh and why does my head hurt so much?"

"You had a lot to drink last night…" Zelda told her, her voice trembling as she wiped away the tears that were forming at the base of her eyes.

"I did…?" Reika asked, looking from Zelda down to the bed "Well that explains the headache… But what happened with… Us…?"

"You were having difficulty walking, so I helped you back to your room" she explained, clearing her throat as she took a deep breath "you said you felt lonely, so I stayed in here with you over night…"

"Oh okay…" Reika nodded, rubbing her forehead as she looked around the room "But… Then why are we in your room?"

"My room…?" Zelda repeated, looking back at her in confusion "This isn't my room."

"Then who's room are we in?" Reika questioned, shaking her head as she winced at another throb of pain from her headache.

"I don't know…" Zelda admitted, getting up as she began to her clothes up off the floor. Reika groaned as she moved her legs over the side of the bed, pausing a moment as she looked back to see several damp areas on the bed beneath where they'd been laying.

"Zelda…" Reika muttered, looking over at her "What exactly did we do last night?" Zelda froze, biting down on her bottom lip as she held back the tears. There was a moment of silence before Zelda finished gathering up her clothes. "Zelda…?" Reika muttered as Zelda slipped out into the hallway, tears streaming down her face.

Once she finished getting dressed, Reika headed out into the hall and made her way towards the dinning hall. Ralis sat alone in the room at the table, poking at a plate of food that was placed before him.

"Good morning" Reika greeted him with a smile, taking a seat in her regular place at the end of the table.

"G-good morning…" he replied, blushing as he glanced back at her. Reika tilted her head as he looked back down at his plate, biting his lip.

"You alright?" she asked, looking back at him with a puzzled expression.

"Y-ya…" he assured her with a nod "I just had a hard time falling asleep last night…"

"Why's that?" she questioned, looking at him in concern.

"Oh well…" he hesitated as glanced back at her, his blush worsening "You guys had accidentally taken my room…"

"Oh, I'm sorry…" she replied, lowering her head "If I hadn't gotten carried away with the wine…"

"No, no, it's quite alright" he assured her, holding his hands up in front of him "I usually fill the bath up with water and sleep in there: I can't spend too much time out of water without becoming ill."

"Why didn't you just go in there then?" she asked, tilting her head curiously.

"Oh, uh…" he looked back down at his plate, blushing again as he put his hands down "Well… You guys were, um, busy and I didn't want to interrupt…"

"Busy?" Reika repeated, shaking her head in confusion "What do you mean?"

"You guys were moving around a lot and making noises…" he explained, looking away from her slightly "It was making me feel weird and I kept staring… I didn't want to be rude though, so I tried one of the other rooms, but the skeletons wouldn't let me…"

"Moving and making noises…?" she repeated, thinking for a moment before a bright blush lit up across her face as she realized what he'd seen. He glanced up at her with a look of concern.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"W-why wouldn't the skeletons let you into another room?" she injected, placing a hand over her mouth as she attempted to hide her expression.

"Uh, they said they were the women's rooms" he explained, looking back down at the table "they told me I couldn't go in without permission because I might walk in on you guys changing or try and hide so I could spy on you or something like that…"

"That's horrible" she replied, getting to her feet "y-you'd never do something like that! I'm going to go talk to those skeletons and set things straight!" Ralis looked up at her, another puzzled look on his face as she spun around, heading back towards the bedrooms.

Once she was in the hallway, she came to a halt, pressing her back against the wall. She slid down to sit on the floor, swallowing hard as she looked up towards the ceiling.

"I don't believe it…" she gasped, shaking her head in disbelief "I… I had s-sex with… Zelda and… Ralis _saw_ us do it in _his_ bed…" She let out a heavy sigh as she ran a hand through her hair, shutting her eyes "Oh what have I done…?" Shaking her head, she looked down the hall, biting her lip "First things first, I have to go make sure she's okay."

Getting to her feet, Reika made her way down the hall until she came to Zelda's bedroom, gently knocking on the door. Straightening out her gown, she waited a short moment before knocking again. Sighing softly as she turning the door handle, she pushed the door open, just enough to peer in.

Sitting on the edge of the bed with her back to the door, Zelda held her face buried into a pillow she held closely in her arms. The faint sound of her sobbing sent a sense of guilt through Reika's mind as she looked over at her. Swallowing hard, she slipped into the room and quietly shut the door behind her. Zelda jumped at the sound of the door, looking back with a look of terror towards the door.

"Who's there…" she began, her words fading when her spotted Reika at the door. "Oh…" she huffed, wiping her eyes with her sleeve as she looked away from her "It's you... "

"Zelda…" Reika said softly, walking across the room and taking a seat next to her on the bed "I'm so sorry…"

"For what…?" she sobbed, shaking her head as she buried her face back into her pillow.

"Not being able to remember" Reika told her, gently placing a hand on her back. Zelda looked back at her, a slightly confused look on her face.

"Not being able to remember?" she sniffled, tears rolling down her cheek "You mean you don't regret…?"

"Of course not!" Reika assured her, wrapping her arms around her as she pulled her close "Why would you ever think that?"

"I don't know…" she admitted, resting her head against her chest "I guess I felt like you only did it because you were drunk…"

"No" Reika sighed softly, stroking her hair gently "I did it because I knew I could trust you."

"Really…?" Zelda asked, looking up at her with hopeful eyes "I wasn't a mistake?"

"Of course not" Reika assured her, wiping the tears from her cheek as a gentle smile crossed her face "I only wish I could remember it…"

"I remember it" Zelda assured her with a slight smirk, brushing her finger tips across her chest lovingly "I'd be happy to remind you…"

"Mm, I think I'd like that" Reika giggled, sliding her hands to her shoulders as she began to rub her arms comfortingly "but maybe we should stay in our own rooms this time."

"We were in Ralis' room, weren't we?" Zelda muttered, blushing horribly as she looked down.

"Ya" Reika told her with a nod "he saw what we were doing too."

"Oh, I should've asked where your room was before escorting you out" Zelda grumbled, burring her face into her chest again "poor Ralis probably won't be able to sleep in that bed now, all because I thought something might happen to you if one of those skeletons walked off with you…"

"You were worried about me when I was drunk?" Reika asked curiously "You're so sweet!" Zelda blushed again as she looked back up at Reika, smiling innocently.

"Well I was afraid they might try and take advantage of you while you were intoxicated…" she explained "But I guess I was just as bad, huh?"

"Nah" Reika assured her, slipping her arms around her waist and down her hips "I'm sure I'm probably the one who talked you into it."

"Well you didn't actually _say_ much to convince me" Zelda admitted, looking away shyly "you're very persuasive with your hands…"

"Am I now?" Reika grinned, tossing the pillow aside as she pushed Zelda onto her back. Zelda looked up at her, blushing brightly as Reika crawled on top of her.

"R-right now?" Zelda whispered, swallowing hard "S-shouldn't we go eat first?"

"Mm, _eating_ sounds like a fun idea" Reika teased, slowly kissing down Zelda's neck as she began to slide down her body. Zelda gasped, shutting her eyes as she tilted her head back.

"Oh, Reika~" she moaned softly, running her hands through her hair.

"I haven't done anything yet" Reika giggled, kissing the base of Zelda's stomach as she rubbed her hips playfully.

"Sorry…" she muttered sheepishly "I'm just not used to having anyone this close to me…"

"I remember how I used to feel like that before my first time" Reika admitted with a sigh "oh, it was amazing… Finally feeling safe in his arms, taking him inside of me…"

"Your experience shows" Zelda teased, a shy giggle escaping her lips "I'm guessing you learned a lot from him."

"Actually I taught him most of what he knows now" Reika laughed, a sly grin across her face "I can still drive him wild without even touching him."

"I can believe that" Zelda said softly. The two smiled back at one another, their eyes meeting as Reika brought her lips between Zelda's legs. Zelda purred, a gasp of pleasure escaping her lips as Reika slid her tongue inside her. The two of them each closed their eyes as their soft moans filled the room.

A sudden knock at the door caused both of them to jump, the two of them fixing their gaze on the door.

"I hate to disturb you" called out Zmiaj's voice from the hall "but I was hoping the two of you would come help Ralis and I introduce our newest guest."

"Alright" Reika called back, smiling back at Zelda "we'll be down in a few minutes." Zelda blushed as she looked back at her, arching her back slightly as Reika brought her head back down.

"Much appreciated" he replied, a moment of silence coming before he continued "oh and do keep it down: your moans are distracting the guards."

"Will this do?" Kino questioned, pointing at the hallowed out tree trunk that now rested at his feet.

"It looks kind of filthy…" Quincey said grimly, looking down at it as he shook his head "I really don't wanna ruin these clothes…"

"Well then let's just wait here until night fall!" Kino huffed, sliding his sword back into its sheath "I really don't feel like carrying you to Kakariko Village anyway."

"We can't waste the entire day just sitting here!" Quincey exclaimed "Not only will I get bored, but if that bastard who killed the last Sage kills the next one off before we get there, we'll be out of leads!"

"Then get in the log!" Kino insisted.

"Do you know how hard it is to wash this material?" Quincey huffed, holding the ends of the cloak up to him "I'd never get the stains out!"

Krynne watched from where she sat on a branch of the tree providing Quincey cover from the sun's rays, an amused smirk across her face. She let out a gentle yawn as she laid down along the branch, Quincey and Kino continuing to bicker beneath her. Swaying her tail casually, she folded her front legs under her chin to cushion her head where she rested it.

"These guys are hopeless" she joked to herself, shaking her head. As they argued, she lifted her head, looking up to see a black cat perched on a branch a few feet above her. It stared down at the two of them contently, its tail flickering through the air. "Well hello there…" she began, moving to get up.

"Fine!" Kino boomed, Krynne looking back down at them "You stay here, hiding in your shade, and _I'll_ go to Death Mountain to find the Sage!"

"Oh no!" Quincey snapped, glaring back at him "You are not taking credit for saving _my_ girlfriend! I'm gonna find the Sages and find the bastard who kidnapped her myself, not you!"

"Okay, let's go then" Kino replied, spinning on his heels as he started off. Quincey clenched his fists, clenching his teeth as Kino looked back with a look of curiosity "Well, what are you waiting for? Oh, that's right, sun set. How long until that happens again? _Twelve hours_ from now?"

"You're very lucky the sun is up right now" Quincey warned "because as soon as I get my hands on you…"

"Lucky?" Kino interjected "If the sun wasn't up, we'd already be halfway to Death Mountain and I wouldn't have just wasted an hour cutting out the interior of a tree!" Quincey crossed his arms across his chest, glaring back at him in irritation.

"Fine, go get yourself" Quincey huffed "we'll see how far you get without me covering your sorry ass."

"That we will" Kino replied with a sigh "now I'm sure that cloaked guy will find his way to the Sage before night fall, so if I'm not back by then head to the Zora's Domain near Castle Town. The Zora Queen should still be there as should the Spirit of Light that lives there. One of them is bound to know where you can find another Sage. I'll meet up with you guys there."

"Alright" Quincey shrugged, taking a seat under the tree "but don't think about coming back if you let that Sage die without getting any information out of him."

"Don't worry" Kino laughed, rolling his eyes as he started off "I'll make sure to come back with _something_ useful." He looked back, waving up at Krynne "You keep him out of trouble, alright? He's probably the best shot Hyrule has!"

"I'll make sure he behaves himself" Krynne snickered, looking down at Quincey.

"Ha, ha" he grumbled, rolling his eyes "very funny."

"Aw, the poor Quincey feel left out of his adventure?" Krynne asked, a hint of sarcasm in her tone. Quincey shook his head as he rested his head against the tree, shutting his eyes. "I guess even the dead have to rest sometime" Krynne muttered to herself "isn't that right, kitty?" She looked up with a playful grin, which faded almost instantly when she realized the cat was no longer there.

"Who are you talking to?" Quincey asked, looking up at her with a raised brow.

"Did you see a cat run down this tree?" Krynne questioned, looking down and about.

"Nope" he replied with a shake of his head "you must be seeing things." Krynne frowned, looking back up towards the branch.

"I know I saw it…" she said to herself, looking back out over the horizon.

"That you did" Nenshoeu mouthed, being sure not make a sound from where he hid several feet from their tree. He looked off towards Kino, a sly smirk across his face. "Death Mountain, huh?" he thought allowed, pulling his hood up "Alright then. Let's see who can find out who'll find the Sage first this time!"


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Heated Rivalry**

Kino arrived in the small village while the sun was still high in the sky. Surrounded by rocky ledges on either side, a gap in the cliff faces near the village's edge revealed a path up and towards the mountain towering over the small settlement.

"Ah, Death Mountain" he sighed to himself, looking up towards the mountain's peak as he made his way up the path "its been ages since I've been here."

"Who goes there?" boomed a voice from above him. Looking up, he spotted a large man looking down at him from atop a cliff face. His skin was pale brown and had rock-like growths where hair would normally have been on a human.

"I'm a messenger from Castle Town!" Kino called back, waving up at the man "I have news regarding the man who flooded your mines!" The man nodded, waving a hand at him, gesturing for him to keep moving. Kino bowed his head respectfully before continuing onward toward the mountain's peak.

The temperature steadily increased as he ascended. When he reached the first cavern leading into the side of the rocky slope, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and proceeded in. The cave only got hotter the farther in her went, the mountain's stony interior giving of a faint red glow.

Emerging into a large chamber within the mountain, Kino pulled off his hat as he looked around. There were several more of the large, rock-like men throughout the chamber, several resting in the small hot spring on the far side of the room. Taking a breath, Kino made his way over to a pair of the men who chatting, approaching them with a bit of caution.

"Excuse me" he said, pausing a moment as the two looked down at him with irritable scowls. "I'm sorry to interrupt" he continued, tucking his hat away into one of the pouches on his belt "but would either of you know where I could find Darbus?"

"What business do you have with our patriarch?" one of the men questioned, glaring down at him.

"I'm here to deliver him a message from the Royal Family regarding the flooded mines" Kino explained, running a hand through his hair as the sweat rolled down his face. The two men were silent as they looked back at one another, expressions of doubt clear on their faces.

"And what could they know about our mountain?" came a booming voice from behind him. Kino spun around, his eyes opening wide as he looked up at the massive man towering over him. Both taller and broader then any of the other men in the room, his pale brown skin was covered in white designs and large, grey rock-like growths extending out from various spots along his arms and back.

"Oh, there you are, Darbus…" Kino muttered, clearing his throat "Yes well, we've been given information from the Sage of the Forest…"

"We already know the Sage of Fire has been sealed away in our mines" Darbus snapped, glaring down at him.

"Oh, good, good…" Kino replied, nodding nervously "Well um, I need to get some information from him, so if you could just point me in the direction of the mines…"

"You _dare_ demand entry into our mines?" Darbus snarled, clenching his fists.

"Hey I need to speak to him so we can gather information on the whereabouts of the man who attacked Hyrule!" Kino replied firmly, stepping forward "So unless you want him coming back here and causing more trouble, I suggest you show me where to find him!" The two men behind him looked down at him with wide eyes, glancing from one another to Darbus in terror.

"You speak boldly for someone who seeks my help" Darbus reminded him, a grim tone to his voice.

"You speak selfishly for someone who seeks to protect his tribe" Kino pointed out to him, placing a hand on the hilt of his blade. The two men behind him where silent, watching Darbus' face in fear and anticipation. A grin finally cracked across the giant's face as he chuckled to himself.

"Very well, messenger" Darbus laughed, pointing out one of the many caves along the chamber's walls "if you wish to venture into our mines, proceed down that path."

"Thank you" Kino replied with a nod, turning towards the cave.

"Take care not to fall into the lava" Darbus added, an amused tone to his voice "the smell of cooked meat might awaken Volvagia!" Kino paused, looking back at him with a look of confusion. Opening his mouth to speak, he shook his head, choosing against it as he started off down the cave.

The heat continued to build up as he proceeded deeper into the mountain's core, sweat now dripping down his neck. He tugged at his collar, shaking his head as he wiped the drops from his forehead.

"Maybe I should've brought something more heat retardant…" he sighed, fanning himself as he paused for breath.

"I should've expected you couldn't lead me all the way to the Sage" admitted a voice from behind him. Kino glanced back as Nenshoeu walked towards him, shrugging casually "after all, you are only mortal and you know how heat affects you people."

"Oh ya, you're just what I need now" Kino huffed, rolling his eyes "I'm gonna have a hell of a time trying to outrun you in this heat…"

"Don't bother" Nenshoeu told him "I'm gonna kill the Sage whether you get to them first or not." A faint laugh escaped Nenshoeu's lips as he looked back at Kino, an amused grin crossing his face "Unless of course, you actually think you can beat me?"

"I don't need to beat you" Kino assured him, brushing his hair back as he started off down the tunnel again "I just got to reach the Sage before you kill him."

"Oh?" Nenshoeu questioned, walking after him "You aren't trying to save them?"

"Nah" Kino replied, shaking his head "I just need to get some information out of them regarding the whereabouts of the guy who's been terrorizing Hyrule."

"Hyrule?" Nenshoeu questioned, tilting his head curiously "Where's that?"

"Here" Kino laughed, looking back at him "this entire country: Castle Town, Death Mountain, the Zora Domain, Ordon Woods, and the Gerudo Desert. They're all parts of Hyrule."

"Oh" Nenshoeu said with a nod "So you're trying save the entire country from some evil guy and you need information from these Sage dudes to find him?"

"Ya that about sums it up" Kino replied with a nod.

"Well if that's the case" Nenshoeu began, coming to a stop "why don't we look for them together?"

"What?" Kino questioned, coming to a stop as he looked back at him.

"You just need to find them for information and I need to find them so I can kill them" Nenshoeu explained "we work together to find them, you get your info and then I pop a cap in their ass. Everybody wins."

"Pop a cap in their…?" Kino repeated with a look of growing confusion. He shook his head and turned back along the path they were following "N-no, I don't think so…"

"Why not?" Nenshoeu questioned, following after him "What am I missing that's a problem with that plan?"

"Quincey really didn't appreciate your hit and run in the forest" Kino reminded him "besides, do you really think the Sages would provide information to someone who traveling with their killer?"

"Well that's why you go in, get your info and then I kill them from the shadows" Nenshoeu explained "how would that not work?"

"And Quincey?" Kino asked.

"Forget him" Nenshoeu told him, making a dismissing gesture with his hand "you have to stop for that guy every time the sun comes out: you'll never get anywhere like that."

"Listen" Kino laughed, shaking his head "I appreciate the offer, but I really can't travel with you."

"Why not?" Nenshoeu asked, a puzzled look on his face "I could use your knowledge of this place and I know I'd be a much more helpful companion than that Quincey fellow."

"I just can't" he explained, running a hand through his hair "I have… A guideline I have to follow regarding what I can and can't do and traveling with a murderer isn't on the list of good ideas."

"You're traveling with a _vampire_!" Nenshoeu pointed out "Doesn't that throw up some warning lights?"

"I only found that out after I agreed to help him" Kino replied, sighing softly "and as much as I'd love to get out of this mess I've stumbled into, I can't go back on my word."

"Well I can kind of see where you're coming from with that" Nenshoeu admitted with a shrug "oh well. It was a nice thought."

"That said" Kino laughed slightly as the two of them stepped out into the vast chamber the cavern opened up to. Most of the room's floor was flooded over with lava, waves of heat ruminating from the bubbling red substance. Only the small section of rock they stood upon beneath the cavern's entrance was solid and intact, though several other chunks of stone drifted across the lava pond. "I wouldn't mind a little help getting around in here…"

"Oh ya, ya" Nenshoeu said mockingly, rolling his eyes "you can't travel with me, but you're not afraid to ask for my help when you're in a room of boiling lava."

"You might be able to break a hole in the floor to drain the lava into one of the lower floors" Kino suggested, leaning forward slightly as he looked down at the lava around them "but we'll need something that can reach the bottom…"

"Fine, I'll do it" Nenshoeu grumbled, pushing past him. Kino watched in confusion, a look of terror crossing his face as Nenshoeu leapt forward into the air.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Kino exclaimed frantically, his words drowned out by the sound of Nenshoeu's body disappearing below the surface of the lava. Kino winced, scratching the back of his head nervously "Geez… I know he's new to Hyrule, but I thought he'd at least know what lava was…"

As a gentle sigh escaped his lips, he looked around and put his hands on his hips. Just as he began to think, the ground beneath him shook violently. Dropping to his knees, he grabbed at the rocky floor in search of something to hold on to.

Leaping out of the lava, Nenshoeu landed next to him with his scythe and katana drawn.

"You won't believe what I found down there!" Nenshoeu whistled, watching the lava bubble uncontrollably as the chamber shook. Kino looked up at him and then back towards the lava. A deafening shriek echoed through the room as a massive snake-like monster emerged from the lava pool, hovering through the air.

"Holy crap…" Kino muttered, watching the beast sail through the air. Its long snake-like body was covered in fine, red scales that glowed with heat, a mane of fire flowing off its neck around its armored head.

"You got a name for that?" Nenshoeu chuckled proudly, looking up at the dragon with a smirk.

"Volvagia" Kino replied as he got to his feet, drawing his sword.

"Wait, what?" Nenshoeu repeated, looking back at him "You already know about this thing?"

"The Subterranean Lava Dragon" Kino continued "it's a legendary beast that was thought to have been slain by a Goron hero long ago. It seems it's been lying dormant within the depths of Death Mountain…"

"Ugh, you mean we're dealing with something someone else didn't finish?" Nenshoeu groaned, shaking his head "Why can't you mortals ever finish what you start?" The dragon looked down at them through hungry green eyes, looping around through the air before launching itself towards them.

"Okay, I'm really gonna have to time this" Kino said, taking a breath as he readied himself "or this could end really, really-" His words were cut short as Nenshoeu grabbed the back of his shirt and tossed him up into the air before leaping off the rock they stood on as well. The dragon smashed through the ground where they'd been standing, diving back under the lava beneath it.

"Damn, it's trying to run away!" Nenshoeu exclaimed, kicking his feet off one of the chamber's wall. He sailed through the air towards the lava, pulling back his weapons. Just before making contact with the lava, Volvagia arose from beneath the lava with its jaw open wide. Nenshoeu swung his blades towards the beast's head, a look of shock crossing his face as they ricocheted off the creature's scales.

His sword half-buried into the cavern wall, Kino held firmly onto the blade's hilt as he looked down at the battle below. Taking a heavy sigh of relief, he squinted as he looked around the room.

"Hey Kino!" Nenshoeu called out. He glanced over, a look of irritation crossing his face as he spotted Nenshoeu atop the dragon's back, holding onto the monster's horns as if they were handles "Need a lift?"

"How good are your driving skills?" Kino asked with a shrug.

"Let's find out" Nenshoeu called back, jerking the beast's horns to the side. The creature let out another bellowing screech as it averted the direction of its movement, smashing into and dragging its body against the cavern wall. Nenshoeu laughed as he held a hand up to shield his eyes from the shards of stone that spat out from the rocky wall.

"Can you go up?" Kino questioned, pointing towards the ceiling.

"Sure thing!" Nenshoeu assured him as Volvagia turned back towards the center of the room. Kino watched as Nenshoeu jerked the dragon's horns once more, causing it to dive down into the lava below. Kino sighed, rolling his eyes as there was a moment of silence before they emerged from the pool beneath him. "Sorry!" Nenshoeu called back to him as the dragon flew up through the air "Used to reverse controls!"

Kino braced himself, taking hold of the hilt firmly as the beast dove towards the top of the room. The entire chamber shook as the beast's head crashed through the ceiling, rocks crumbling down from the hole that formed in the center of the ceiling.

"What's going on in here?" Darbus roared from where he stood at the cavern's entrance "The whole mountain's shaking!"

"I thought this place could use a skylight!" Kino laughed, looking back at him "Volvagia volunteered to give me a helping hand!"

"Volvagia?" Darbus questioned, looking up at the hole at the top of the room. A terrible shriek filled the air as the beast came crashing back down into the room, smashing the hole open wider as it dived towards the lava pit.

"Alright, I'm done playing for today!" Nenshoeu assured the dragon, patting it on the back of the head before getting to his feet. Spinning on his heels, he ran up the monster's snake-like body as it vanished under the lava. Launching himself off the end of the creature's tail, he leapt through the air, disappearing through the hole in the ceiling.

"Oh, god damn it…" Kino groaned, looking down and around at the lava below "Hey Darbus! You have any ideas on how I can get down from here?"

"For your own sake I'd advice against it" Darbus snarled, his eyes red with rage "do you know how much damage you've done?"

"Now in my defense…" Kino began, his words cut short by a sudden rumbling. He looked up and around until catching sight of the stone platform that extended out beneath his feet. He blinked curiously before dropping down to it, looking up at his sword "Well, that's one problem solved…"

A sudden crack formed around his blade, the sword sliding out of the rock. Catching it by the hilt, Kino watched as the crack expanded across a small section of the wall before him. When it finished spreading he looked it over curiously before tapping it with the tip of his blade. The stone crumbled almost instantly, revealing a large stone cavern.

"What have you done now?" Darbus growled, stomping his feet in anger "Quit damaging our mountain!"

"Ya, ya" Kino muttered, rolling his eyes as he sheathed his blade and entered the cave. It opened up into a small chamber where a man dressed in grey robes sat quietly on a pedestal. Kino approached him cautiously, the man slowly lifting his head at the sound of Kino's footsteps.

"Who has come to aid in this time of great peril?" the man asked, looking down at him.

"I'm Kino" he replied, bowing his head politely "listen; we really don't have a whole lot of time. Can you tell me anything about how to find the man who kidnapped princess Zelda?"

"Zelda's assailant is not of this realm" the Sage told him "he is from a place known as Termina."

"Termina…" Kino nodded, listening eagerly "But how do I get there?"

"You must venture through the Lost Woods, deep within Ordon Forest" the elderly man explained "the Lost Woods is a dangerous maze though. If you get lost within its labyrinth, you may never escape."

"Then how do I get through to reach Termina?" Kino questioned.

"That I do not know" he admitted, lowering his head "only the Sages of the Forest and Light know how to navigate the Lost Woods." Kino winced at the mention of the Forest Sage, remembering back to the gruesome sight.

"Alright, thank you" Kino said, lowering his head "do you know where to find any of the other Sages?"

"The Sage of Water is sealed beneath the Zora Domain" the Sage replied "the Sage of Spirit lies within the temple beneath the Arbiter's Grounds in Gerudo Desert. That is all I know."

"Very well" Kino sighed, turning away from him "I'll find them and see what information they can give me." The Sage lifted his head, reaching a hand out to him.

"There is no way of exiting this room that way" the Sage told him "let me bring you to the base of the mountain." Kino shut his eyes, nodding as he stood perfectly still. The Sage lifted his arms up over him as he began to chant softly under his breath, waving his hands to its rhythm. Kino opened his eyes, looking down at himself as he slowly began to fade away.

"Farewell" he said softly as his body vanished entirely "and may you rest in peace." The Sage lowered his hands as he looked down at where Kino had been standing.

"Good-bye, young hero…" he said faintly, looking across the room to Nenshoeu who stood with his gun pointed at the man's head.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk" Nenshoeu huffed, shaking his head as he began to pull the trigger "you fanatics just can't stay away from little boys, can you?"


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: As the Sun Sets**

Reika sighed happily, a loving smile across her face as she made her way down the hallway. Zelda's cheeks were a faint pink, the shy princess following behind Reika at a casual pace. The two glowed with a sense of serenity, the feelings of passion they had embraced still lingering within their minds.

When they opened the doors to the large dining hall, Reika almost skipped across the room to her seat at the small table. Zelda walked confidently, taking her seat across from Ralis with a pleasant smile.

"Good evening" Reika greeted pleasantly, her eyes shining with passion as she looked around the table. She paused a moment, blinking curiously "Where's our new guest?"

"She was excused from the table" came a hiss from beneath the hood of the robed figure sitting across from her. Reika glanced over at Zmiaj with a look of confusion, Zelda giving Ralis a concerned look as the Zora prince lowered his head.

"What?" Reika questioned "Why was that?"

"She grew impatient waiting for your arrival" Zmiaj replied grimly, his tone heavy with the unnerving rattle of withheld anger "she started acting improper and was dismissed to her cell."

"Her cell?" Reika exclaimed, getting to her feet "You can't punish her for something I did!"

"Reika…" Zelda gasped, looking up at her in shock.

"I'm the one who held everyone up, not her!" Reika continued, her voice burning with anger as she slammed her hands down on the table "You release her from her cell this instant!"

"Madam" muttered one of the butlers at Reika's side, uneasiness in its voice "please retake your seat and lower your voice…"

"No!" Reika snapped, glaring back at them "I will not have people wrongly punished for my actions!"

"I suppose opposites do attract" cackled the voice from beneath Zmiaj's hood, a skeleton hand emerging from the sleeve of his robe and coming to rest on the table as he leaned back in his chair.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Reika growled, glaring back at him.

"Why such admirable characteristics in a ruler" he laughed, another skeleton hand emerging from beneath his robes as he held his hands up before him "you're an embodiment of selflessness and let no one but yourself take blame for your faults. You're truly worthy of your crown."

"What does that have to do with opposites?" Reika questioned grimly, clenching her fists as she caught sight of Zelda beginning to lower her head.

"Well you'd never find such characteristics in that worm you call a husband" he pointed out, both Zelda and Ralis looking up in surprise "he takes no blame on himself nor admits to his faults. He's a selfish, greedy, egotistic pervert whose charisma comes from manipulation and lies."

"You know nothing about Quincey!" Reika snapped through clenched teeth "He's the most thoughtful person I've ever met and would never hurt anyone he cares for!"

"You're right about him no hurting those he cares about" Zmiaj replied with a sinister chill in his words "especially considering he _is_ the only person he cares about."

"We'll see about that when he comes to rescue me!" Reika huffed, dropping back into her seat as she crossed her arms over her chest, a cold glare locked on Zmiaj from across the table.

"Rescue you?" Zmiaj laughed, wrapping his arms around his waist "Please, princess! You and I both know he'd have a much easier time just finding another girl to crawl into bed with and you can't deny he's an expert at taking the easy way out of things!"

"Quincey loves me" Reika said firmly, never shifting her gaze "but I don't expect someone like you to know anything about that."

"Someone like me?" he asked curiously "And what is 'someone like me'?"

"A cold hearted killer who selfishly takes what he wants with no concern for anyone else" she huffed, gesturing at her empty glass to the butler "a monster, to be put simply, who could never feel for anyone but himself."

"I'm a monster, am I?" he said, his voice shaking as if trying to hold back his laughter "_I'm _a _monster_? I don't recall ever having drained a living being of their blood, or having killed anyone for simply not agreeing with me! I have yet to torture an individual for information or hunt someone down for being my superior! I am not guilty of questioning the beliefs of others or striking down someone because of their choice of entertainment! I have never betrayed those who trust me or used others for my own gain!"

There was a long silence, Reika's body shaking as she bit down on her lip, scowling back at the robed figure across from her with undeniable hatred. Zelda and Ralis watched the two in complete silence, both of them afraid to become involved in the growing tension in the room.

"I'm a monster" he said again, a heavy sigh escaping his lips "because I have no one to share eternity with… Is _that_ what you mean to say?" There was another pause before Reika got to her feet, turning away from the table.

"I'll be in my room" she said coldly before walking to the door and leaving the room. Zmiaj shook his head, his hands disappearing back beneath his robes.

"See to it she is served dinner" he told one of the butlers as he got to his feet "Princess Zelda, Prince Ralis, I apologize, but I must leave you for tonight. I hope you both enjoy your dinner and have a pleasant night." The two of them remained silent as the watched him go, leaving through another set of doors.

"Would you like me to serve you dinner, madam?" one of the skeletons asked, standing at Zelda's side. She paused a moment, looking from them to Ralis before nodding slightly, sitting up straight.

"Oh yes please" she said sweetly, looking back at them. Ralis nodded, smiling weakly as the butler glanced over at him before retreating through another door.

"I wonder what he knows about us" Ralis said softly, looking down at his plate "and the people we care about…"

"Don't" Zelda replied, glancing towards the door Zmiaj had left through "don't let him get to you. Wonder more about what we can learn about him and we can use that to get to him…"

"Come on!" Quincey groaned throwing his head back.

"Oh quit your whining" Krynne grumbled, glaring back at him.

"But it's so close!" he grumbled, pointing towards the horizon "It's just taunting me now!"

"The sun's not gonna go down any faster, just because you're having a fit" Krynne pointed out to him, rolling her eyes. The sun hovered over the horizon, gradually setting over the mountain side.

"How much longer is it going to take for this damn thing to go down?" he sighed, lowering his head.

"Quincey, it's going to take another hour or so" Krynne told him sighing in annoyance "have you not heard of people 'watching the sunset'?"

"Why would anyone want to watch that thing?" he questioned, shaking his head in confusion.

"I happen to like it" Kino called over to them. Krynne and Quincey looked over at him as he walked over, coming to a stop a few feet from them.

"So how'd it go?" Krynne questioned, lifting her head up from the branch she had been resting it on.

"I found the location of two other Sages" Kino replied, taking a heavy breath "but I have a good feeling that guy killed them off after I left them."

"So where are we headed next then?" Quincey huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"The Zora Domain" Kino replied, folding his arms behind his head "it's on the way to the Arbiter's Grounds, which is where the other one is."

"Well that's awfully convenient" Quincey said irritably, looking back at him "even if you hadn't come back, you'd pointed us in the direction of another Sage already…"

"Assuming the Zora knew the Sage was there" Kino pointed out "otherwise you'd have gotten there and been left with no leads."

"I suppose…" Quincey said suspiciously, turning away from him as he looked back towards the sun "Regardless, I still can't leave until the sun goes down…"

"Good, I could use a rest" Kino assured him, walking over and taking a seat beneath the tree. Quincey glared down at him as Krynne rested her head back down, shutting her eyes.

"So what can we expect at the Zora's Domain?" she asked with a yawn.

"It's a large lake" Kino explained "it'll be filled with fish people known as Zora who follow a monarchy. Sadly, we'll probably have to go up a waterfall to reach them…"

"A waterfall?" Quincey sighed, looking back at him "You mean we're going across running water?"

"Don't tell me you have a problem with water?" Krynne groaned, opening her eyes enough to glare at him.

"Oh no, not at all" Quincey assured her, throwing his hands up over his head "ya know, running water just rips me to shreds if I become submerged in it!"

"So don't go swimming" Kino shrugged "it's not that hard. They _do_ expect air breathing visitors from time to time."

"See, you'll be fine" Krynne assured him "we'll just keep you out of the water."

"Alright" Quincey sighed, shaking his head "not like I have any other choice."

"Exactly, so quit bitching" Kino yawned, stretching his arms out over his head. Quincey glared back at him as he leaned back against the tree, shutting his eyes. Krynne snickered, shaking her head as another yawn escaped her lips.

"Alright well Quincey, you keep an eye on the sun and let us know when we can go" she muttered.

"Whatever" Quincey shrugged, looking off towards the sun as it continued to drop from the sky. "Don't worry Reika…" he said with a sigh "I'll find you…"

Sitting in a small tree, Nenshoeu watched as Kino and Krynne drifted off to sleep. Quincey starred off at the still setting sun with a look of determination.

"Even if it's not directly, traveling with you will still help me find the Sages" he said to himself, playing with one of the chains on his cloak "they're not going to tell me where to find the others when they know I intend to kill them."

Looking around and about in boredom, Nenshoeu continued to fiddle with the chain on his cloak as he let his legs hang down over the branch. Sighing to himself he dropped to the ground and began walking around the tree he'd been sitting in impatiently.

"I really wish they'd hurry up though" he grumbled, crossing his arms behind his back "I don't like waiting… But I can't run ahead of them or I might get bored there and kill the Sage before they arrive…" He continued to think to himself, passing around the tree over and over again.

"Well" came a voice from his shoulder "I have an idea." Nenshoeu looked over, a confused expression on his face.

"Who…?" he questioned, looking over his arm and shoulder frantically.

"No!" exclaimed another voice from his opposite shoulder "Don't listen to him!" Nenshoeu looked back in confusion, his eyes widening.

"Who's yelling at me?" Nenshoeu exclaimed, reaching for his pistols.

"Oh come off it!" snickered the first voice again, a sinister tone to their words "You know he'd have a blast!"

"That is far too reckless, even for him!" snapped the second voice "You absolutely can not put that idea in his head!"

"What idea?" Nenshoeu questioned, looking around in confusion.

"You know he's already thought of it" the first voice told them "he's been thinking about it since he left the mountain."

"And obviously, through better judgment, he decided against it!" the second voice snarled.

"Who's talking?" Nenshoeu cried, grabbing at his hair as he looked up toward the sky "Is this part of the curse?"

"No Nenshoeu" the first voice assured him "this isn't from the curse."

"What are you doing?" the second voice cried in panic "You can't speak to him directly!"

"Who can't talk to me directly?" Nenshoeu whimpered, lowering his head sadly.

"That would be me, your ego" the first voice explained to him "and Mr. Party-Crasher over there is your 'conscience'."

"My ego and conscience…?" Nenshoeu repeated in confusion as he looked around again.

"Don't listen to this guy" said the second voice "while he's telling the truth, you must never, _ever_ listen to this guy! He is nothing but trouble!"

"Hey, I'm not all that bad" the first voice insisted "all I was gonna do was tell him how to entertain himself…"

"Wait, how can I entertain myself?" Nenshoeu asked curiously.

"No!" the second voice cried "Don't listen to your ego, Nenshoeu! Horrible things will happen!"

"Why, what's he going to make me do?" he asked with a puzzled look.

"Well, I can't _make_ you do anything" the first voice assured him "all I can do is _suggest_ you ride that dragon across Hyrule to that Zora's Domain."

"No!" the second voice exclaimed "Nenshoeu, don't even think about it! Just pretend you didn't hear him!"

"But that does sound like a lot of fun…" Nenshoeu admitted "But that thing is pretty wild, it might hurt someone…"

"But Nenshoeu" the first voice began "think of how long that poor creature's been trapped inside that mountain without any exercise or friends." There was a long silence as Nenshoeu awaited a response.

"Fuck…" came the second voice muttered "He's got a point, I have to agree with him now…"

"So does this mean I'm heading back to the mountain?" Nenshoeu asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Yes it does Nenshoeu" replied the first voice, a diabolically happy tone in their words "yes it does."


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Haunting Words**

The moon was full, hanging high up in the sky above the large town. The stars lit the sky, providing light for the people wandering the streets as they went about their business.

Amidst the crowded streets, a small group of men stood and spoke between themselves along a building's wall. Their conversation light-hearted with the anticipation of upcoming celebration, none of them stood out from among the crowds around them.

As they spoke, one man caught sight of a woman stumbling out of the building behind them. Her bleach blonde hair hanging down to her shoulders, she was dressed in a marvelous pink dress that reached the ground. Her forest green eyes appeared lost in a drunken gaze, her smile fading and reappearing as she swayed through the crowd, reaching around to catch her balance against the building's wall.

Approaching their group, the man quickly pointed her out to his mates before dismissing himself with a smirk. A small burst of laughter erupted from them as he made his way towards her, a confident grin across his face.

Stumbling to a stop, the woman looked up at the man who now stood in her path, a bright smile crossing her face.

"Hey there" the man said smugly as he looked the woman over, her the dress tight around her slim figure "what's a fine girl like you doing out all by her lonesome?" A shy giggle escaped the girl's lips as she looked away, a faint blush crossing her face.

"Oh, I was just out for a little stroll" she explained, her sweet tone blending with the scent of alcohol that rolled off her breath "there's nothing wrong with that, is there?"

"Not at all" he assured her, taking a step towards her as he slipped his hands into his pockets "but you should be much more careful. A beautiful girl like you could get into a lot of trouble wandering around the streets alone at night."

"Really?" she asked, moving closer to him with an innocent look on her face "That sounds really scary…"

"Oh, no need to be afraid" the man assured her, placing a hand on her shoulder "I wouldn't let anything happen to such a sweet little lady."

"Oh, so gentlemanly!" the woman gasped, smiling up at him as she traced a finger up and along his arm "Would you really keep little old me safe?"

"But of course, dear" he told her, moving to her side as he led her along past his group "how's about we move some place where I can keep a better eye on you though?"

"That sounds like a good idea" she admitted, looking up at him as he slid his arms around her shoulders. He smiled back down at her as they slipped quietly into an empty ally way, the people of the crowds oblivious to their passing.

"We should be safe in here" he told her, stepping around to face her.

"You're so brave" she said sweetly, gently sliding her arms around his waist "I don't think anyone could frighten you away."

"Oh, not to worry" he chuckled, running his hands over her shoulders "I won't be leaving a poor girl like you all by herself." She smiled up at him, biting her lip nervously.

"Do you think you could give me a hand?" she asked, gently pressing her chest against his "This dress is getting oh so warm, but it's so hard undoing the strings myself…"

"Of course" the man said softly, running his hands down her back. Her warm breath brushed gently against his neck as he began to undo the strings of her dress, her hands coming together at the base of his back. "There" he said with a smirk as the last string came undone. He opened his mouth to speak again, but no words escaped his lips.

The girl stepped away from him, looking around curiously before turning and walking deeper into the darkness of the ally. Sliding the sleeves of the dress off her arms, she stepped out of the elegant clothes as the man fell forward behind her.

Dressed in a full-body suit of tight, black leather that covered everything on her body except her head, she began climbing the large wall at the end of the ally way. Perching herself atop the large wall that surrounded the town, she looked back towards the man's lifeless corpse, a pool of blood forming beneath him.

"So, what will happen this time?" she wondered out loud, brushing the hair from her face as she waited patiently. After a few minutes, a woman caught sight of the man's body and let out a horrified scream. The crowds quickly dispersed as the town guards came rushing forward. The girl watched quietly from her position atop the wall as one of the armored men knelt down next to the man, examining the wound in the base of the man's back.

"He was stabbed…" the guard said, looking back at the others.

"By who?" another demanded, looking around at the people around them. The crowds quickly burst into countless claims and cries, people calling out at one another in desperation and ridicule. The guards moved quickly to separate the people as they began to get violent towards one another, the sounds of braking glass and cracking bones ringing through the air.

The girl sighed, shaking her head as she turned away from the riot below. "A dead body's found, so everyone goes crazy and blames one another" she grumbled to herself, glancing out at the canyons that lied a short distance outside of the town's walls "I've seen that happen four-thousand six-hundred and ninety-eight times now. It just doesn't have the same effect it did the first time…"

"Silence!" came a booming voice from among the crowd. Looking back curiously, the woman watched as the large man held his blade up to the sky. "People of Clock Town!" he bellowed, his golden armor shimmering in the star light "A great injustice has occurred tonight! An innocent man has been robbed of his life and although this is tragic indeed, you must not blame one another!"

"A paladin?" she muttered under her breath, tilting her head slightly "I haven't seen one of those in awhile."

"But then who murdered him?" demanded one of the citizens.

"It couldn't have been one of the monsters!" another pointed out "The guard said he was stabbed!"

"People!" the man roared, bringing his sword down to his side "I know who the murderer of your fellow is and it is not one of your own!" The crowd was filled with excited gasps, people bickering among themselves in curiosity, the woman leaning forward as she focused her gaze on the large man.

"Please" insisted one of the guards as they stepped forward "who is it that killed this poor man?"

"A demon" the man replied grimly, turning to face him "summoned from just beyond this town's walls."

"A demon?" the woman repeated irritably, shaking her head "Defenately a paladin… That's their excuse for everything!"

"A demon?" someone cried, the crowds beginning to erupt in shrieks of terror.

"Do not fear!" the man called out, the crowd falling silence once more "I have faced this demon before! It escaped the wrath of my divine might, but it shall not be so fortunate a second time." There was a moment of silence before the crowd erupted into cheers and praise towards the man.

"Excuse me" said a small man who came to the golden man's side "I am the mayor of this fine town. If there is anything we can do to aid you in your fight against this monstrosity, we will be more than happy to help."

"And I shall guide my men to aid you in your conquest" said an armored man as he approached, his suit clearly more elaborate than that of the other guards.

"These people are too easy" she sighed, shaking her head "for all they know he could've stabbed him and is lying through his teeth!"

"That won't be necessary" the man told them, nodding to each respectfully "I shall vanquish this creature with the power of the Golden Goddesses. There is no need for you to endanger yourselves also."

"So noble!" called out one of the citizens.

"Let's here it for the Her of Clock Town!" another cried as the crowds cheers grew louder.

"Well this is dull" the woman huffed, turning her back to the town as she threw her legs over the ledge of the wall. Pushing herself forward, she fell towards the ground below. Landing unharmed, she started walking across the fiends surrounding the town, a faint sigh of irritation escaping her lips. "I just can't get the same thrill from this stuff anymore" she sighed, looking down at her hand as she held it up before her "I guess you'll have to do again tonight."

The sound of the rushing water over the rocky ledges filled the air, the rush of the waterfall's waves crashing down at the lake below. Traveling along the stony cliffs on the side of the river's edge, Kino, Quincey and Krynne made their way towards the opening of the cliff face where the water flowed from.

"Almost there" Krynne assured them, floating through the air just above their heads "just a few more feet!"

"See" Kino laughed through heavy breaths as he glanced back at Quincey "this isn't so bad!"

"I suppose" the vampire grumbled, scaling over the stones at his feet "I still don't see why I couldn't just fly up."

"Oh ya, 'cause a swarm of bats isn't going to frighten the locals after having been attacked by some evil robed figure" Kino said with a grin, shaking his head in amusement.

"Bats are animals" he pointed out "and at least I don't turn into a swarm of those giant bat things you guys flying around at night in this world."

"You mean keese?" Kino questioned "Those would be even more horrifying for these people because they _know_ those will attack people."

"Well excuse me for not knowing everything about a world I arrived in two days ago" Quincey huffed sarcastically as he rolled his eyes.

The two of them pulled themselves up over the last ledge of rock, climbing to their feet. Looking ahead, they peered into the large cavern and straightened out their clothes.

"Shall we?" Krynne asked, looking down at them. Kino nodded as he stepped forward, leading them into the cave. They walked for only a few minutes before stepping into the glorious chamber within the cave. Water rushed down from the ceiling, flowing down and out the cave floor to form the waterfall behind them. Brilliant gem stones embedded in the cavern walls glistened brightly, their shine reflecting off water's surface.

At the far end of the chamber lied a ruined throne, thick stains of dry blood splattered across it and the surrounding floor. Deep cut marks could be seen throughout the chambers floor and walls, bits of shattered weapons lying about the room. Gaps in the blood stains revealed were bodies might have once been, but they had either been carried off by the river or moved by its inhabitants.

Throughout this damaged hall, several blue-skinned people stood about and spoke among one another. All of them had fins on their elbows and knees, and their skin appeared to have a leathery, almost scaly texture to it. Most of these people had long, fish-like extensions extending from the back of their heads, complete with the tail fins at the tip.

Standing in the center of several of these people was a gorgeous young woman, dressed in an elegant dress composed of red and violet cloths. While her flawless skin was as pale a blue as the others, there was no extension from the back of her head. Instead, she had long, shoulder-length red that appeared to be comprised from a coral reef.

Stepping into the chamber, the three of them came to a stop at the entrance of the chamber. The people inside came to a stop, looking over to them suspiciously. The woman with coral hair stepped forward, looking them over curiously.

"Who are you?" she questioned, standing confidently before them. Quincey moved to step forward, Kino holding his arm out in front of him. Quincey looking back at him with a raised brow, Kino gestured to him with his hand to wait. Looking back towards her, Kino stepped forward, bowing his head respectfully.

"Queen Rutela" he said happily, smiling up at her "it's a pleasure to see you again." The woman paused a moment longer, looking Kino over once again before her eyes widened, a look of realization crossing her face.

"Kino?" she questioned, stepping towards him "Kino Kyoto? Is that you?"

"In the flesh" he assured her, holding his hands out to his sides. She paused a moment longer before a faint smile came across her face.

"It's been far too long my friend" she said softly.

"I apologize for my absence" he said with a sigh, bringing his hands to his sides "I have been kept busy the past few years and time has not been on my side."

"It's been twelve years" she reminded him "I've since married and had a child…"

"Yes" Kino said sympathetically with a nod "I have heard of both King Zora and Prince Ralis' tragic fates."

"I presume it is the man who caused such vile tragedies that has brought you here to our domain?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I'm afraid so" he sighed, folding his arms behind his head "I must ask you if you have any knowledge of the Sage of Water's whereabouts. I've been informed he lies here beneath the domain, but I need more detailed information to locate him."

"Yes, the Sage has been sealed beneath out great lake" she replied, looking to the water on the cavern floor "far beneath the water outside the Spirit of Light's cavern."

"I assume there's more to it" he questioned "otherwise your own men would have already dove down to free them."

"You assume right, as usual" she said with a slight smiling, looking back at him "the entrance to their prison is frozen over with a thick layer of ice. My men have been unable to pierce it and no amount of heat has managed to melt through the ice."

"That is a problem" Kino admitted with a nod, taking a heavy breath.

"I have a question" Quincey interrupted, stepping forward. Kino and Rutela looked over at him, Krynne hovering over his shoulder.

"And who might you be?" Rutela asked.

"I am Quincey" he replied with a polite nod "but this prison that lies beneath the lake, is the water in it running or has it stilled?"

"The river splits in two" she explained "one half keeps going while the other ends in that lake. There is no current beneath the lakes surface."

"Good" he said with a nod, looking back towards the cave's entrance "so I won't have to sit around twiddling my thumbs a second time." Rutela looked from Quincey to Kino in confusion, tilting her head. Kino shook his head, gesturing for her to dismiss the thought as he stepped past Quincey towards the entrance of the cave.

"Thank you for your information, your highness" he said gratefully "with it we'll not only free the Sage but find and return Prince Ralis to you."

"Very well" she said, politely bowing her head to him "I wish you luck and pray you reach your goal, for all our sakes." Kino nodded back to her once more as Quincey and Krynne started after him out of the cave entrance.

"We shall return" he called back, waving back at them with a smile "and when we do, I'll make time to catch up on what I've missed!" Rutela smiled brightly, a soft sigh escaping her lips as they disappeared through the cavern ahead.

"I'll hold you to that" she said softly "don't keep me waiting."

Once they reached the base of the cliff's face, the three of them made their way along the river's edge. Following the flowing water, Kino guided them down to the large lake below. On the far side of the lake stood a large stone pillar with a large cavern visible at its center.

"The prison's at the bottom of that?" Krynne questioned, looking down at the water below.

"That it is" Kino assured her as they made their way to the lake's edge.

"Alright, so Krynne and I are okay without air" Quincey pointed out, looking down at Kino "what about you?"

"This tunic I'm wearing is known as the Zora's Tunic" he replied, leading them around the edge of the lake "Rutela hand made it for me several years ago. It allows me to breathe air and water equally well."

"How does that work?" Krynne questioned.

"Beats me" he admitted with a shrug "it's never failed me before, so I've always just went along with it. I should ask her some time."

"So how are we gonna melt this ice?" Quincey questioned, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked towards the center of the water body.

"That is a very good question" Kino admitted "maybe we should dive in and give it a quick look first…"

The clouds seemed to sail past them rapidly. The moon was bright above the clouds, the stars becoming bright blurs as they rushed by.

"My ego thinks it can tell me what to do" Nenshoeu laughed as the wind rushed through his hair "well I'll show my ego who's the boss around here!" Pulling up on the beast's horns, Volvagia rose up above the clouds with a deafening roar, its fiery main crackling through the air.

"How is kidnapping the dragon, not doing exactly what he told you to do?" questioned a familiar voice.

"Easy" Nenshoeu replied smugly "he told me to fly it, I'm going to teach it how to swim!"

The sky itself seemed to shake as the ground trembled beneath their feet.

"What the hell's going on?" Quincey demanded.

"I have no idea!" Kino admitted, shaking his head frantically "Hyrule isn't known for earthquakes!"

"Maybe _that _has something to do with it!" Krynne exclaimed, pointing to the sky. Looking to the sky, Kino and Quincey watched in shock as the might dragon emerged from beyond the clouds.

"Volvagia?" Kino cried, grabbing hold of his sword "What's it doing out of the mountain?"

"That's what was in Death Mountain?" Quincey questioned, looking back at him "I thought you found the Sage?"

"I did" Kino replied, pointing towards the dragon's mane "but _he_ dealt with the monster!" Quincey looked back, his pupils dilating as he caught sight of Nenshoeu atop the creature's back.

"You have got to be kidding me" Krynne sighed, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Ya!" Nenshoeu cried out, guiding Volvagia down towards the lake "Now just remember: water is just like really thin, cold magma!" The dragon let out a final shriek of terror before crashing down beneath the lake's surface. The three of them watched curiously, a sense of uncertainty engulfing them.

"Can that thing even breathe under water?" Quincey questioned.

"It can breathe in magma" Kino shrugged, shaking his head in confusion "it's never been tested." After a long moment of silence, a loud shattering sound echoed through the air. The three of them looked at each other with a puzzled look for a moment before their eyes widened and they looked back at the lake.

"Well…" Krynne muttered, looking around at them "At least that solves our ice problem…"

"Ya!" Nenshoeu cheered as Volvagia burst from beneath the water's surface "I knew you could do it!"

"Well" Quincey said with a grim smirk, stepping forward "I think it's time I got a little pay back for his little stunt at the Forest Temple."

"Shouldn't we be focusing on getting to the Sage?" Kino offered.

"Well if we take him out now, we won't have to keep rushing to reach the Sages" Krynne pointed out.

"I suppose…" Kino agreed with a slight nod, looking back towards Nenshoeu as he guided Volvagia back beneath the waves.

"Don't worry" Quincey assured him, his grin widening as his bared his fangs "this won't take long!"


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Shadows and Secrets**

"Thank you" Reika sighed, handing the small tray to the skeleton standing before her.

"You're very welcome, madam" the butler replied, bowing to her politely before moving around the bed towards the door. She watched him leave from where she sat on the edge of the bed in her chambers.

"I wonder where they learned their manners from" she asked herself as she looked back at the wall across from her "they certainly didn't learn them from that master of theirs. The nerve of that man, thinking he can talk that way about _my_ Quincey!"

A sudden knock at her door cut off her train of thought, causing her to look back at the door once more.

"Reika?" came Zelda's voice from the hall "Are you awake?"

"Yes, come on in" Reika called back, brushing a few straw hairs from her face. Zelda slowly opened the door, closing it quietly after stepping into the room.

"How're you holding up?" she asked, crossing the room to sit next to her on the bed.

"I'm fine" she assured her, shaking her head "I'm not about to let anything that bastard says get to me. I've been through enough to know when someone's trying to mess with my head."

"I admire your strength" Zelda admitted with a smile "I don't think I could handle that kind of mental assault…"

"Well when your society is comprised of another world's greatest criminals, you learn to put up with a lot of crap" she explained with a smile "but I appreciate your concern. It's good to have someone to talk to in these stressful situations."

"I'm glad I can be of help" Zelda said softly, looking up at the Twilight princess happily "but I'm sure you'd do the same for me."

"That's what friends do" Reika agreed with a nod, a slight giggle escaping her lips. Zelda nodded, biting her lip as she glanced back at the door. Reika gave her a curious look over as the Hylian princess leaned in close to her, eyeing the door as she did.

"How good are you at sneaking around?" Zelda questioned, speaking in a low whisper.

"I can get around unseen when I need to" Reika assured her in an equally quiet tone.

"Alright, you remember the other night when you got drunk and we…" Zelda began, a blush crossing her face as she failed to finish her sentence.

"No, well, ya I remember what you told me happened" Reika assured her, gesturing for her to continue.

"Well, that night, Ralis was stuck wandering around the halls for awhile" Zelda explained "and while he was, he overheard the servants talking about our host."

"Zmiaj" Reika said with a nod "what did they say about him?"

"Well it turns out they're not his servants" she explained "they're under orders to help him keep us here, but they don't like him anymore than we do."

"Zmiaj already told us he's working for a higher up though" Reika pointed out "how does that help us?"

"That means they want him gone too" Zelda explained "so if we can find out which one of them is in charge of all the servants, we might be able to convince them to rebel against him."

"And while he's busy dealing with them, we can escape since the guards will be away from their posts!" Reika exclaimed, a sinister grin crossing her face "Ooo, I like it. But how do we plan on finding out who's in charge?"

"There should be a map to this place in the dungeon" Zelda explained "Ralis said the other guest pointed it out at the table and that's why Zmiaj really had her excused."

"I see…" Reika nodded, placing a hand on the base of her chin "So that little speech of his about Quincey was just him trying to keep me from sticking around long enough for Ralis to mention it… He didn't expect you not to follow after me right away."

"Exactly" Zelda nodded, a slight smirk crossing her face "and I'm certain that map will have something on it that can help us get out of here!"

"Then what are we waiting for?" Reika questioned, getting to her feet "Let's go find out that map and get ourselves out of this hell hole!"

"Shh!" Zelda exclaimed, pulling Reika back down to sit with her as she glanced back at the door "Not so loud!"

"Sorry…" Reika muttered with a blush "I guess I got a little excited…"

"We have to be careful" Zelda reminded her "Zmiaj isn't allowed to hurt us, but we don't know if those servants are under that same order. Plus if they find out what we're up to, they're report to their leader and then we'll have no chance of convincing them to rebel."

"Okay" Reika said, taking a breath "how're we going to do this then?"

"First we'll need better clothes" she suggested "we won't be able to sneak around very well dressed the way we are now and we'll probably want disguises."

"Then if they see us they'll think they've got other intruders" Reika snickered, a sinister gleam in her eyes "that'll certainly give Zmiaj something to worry about."

"The only problem is finding disguises…" Zelda admitted "We can use anything from our rooms without them noticing it's missing or damaged…"

"Well" Reika began, getting to her feet "I think I know a spell that could help us with that."

"You know how to use magic?" Zelda questioned, giving her a puzzled look.

"Of course" Reika giggled "I'm not just making a pun when I say I have magic hands."

"Magic hands…" Zelda questioned, tilting her head before realization donned on her, a thick blush crossing her face "Oh, you mean…"

"Focus" Reika interrupted, snapping her fingers at her.

"Sorry, sorry!" Zelda replied, shaking her head "So what's this spell?"

"Well it changes your appearance to make you unrecognizable from your true self" she explained "but you can only use it on yourself, so I'll have to teach it to you… You do know how to cast spells, right?"

"Well I know a small handful" Zelda said with a nod.

"Good" Reika smiled, gesturing for her to get up "then let's get started."

The sky roared with the sounds of battle above the great lake. Volvagia circled through the sky, releasing waves of flame from its jaw with each crackling screech. Atop the creature's back, the two entities fought ruthlessly.

"I'm impressed!" Nenshoeu admitted with a grin, his scythe in one hand and his sword in the other "It's been awhile since I've met someone who can fight me with their bare hands, even with my power drained."

"And I never thought I'd meet someone with an ego as big as mine" Quincey smirked, his cloak blowing through the air while his eyes remained locked on the man before him.

The two of them glared at one another with wide grins, neither of them showing any signs of exhaustion. Around the rim of the lake below, Krynne looked up at them along side the several Zora who had come to investigate the noise.

"Who or what are those things?" one of them questioned.

"And is that not the legendary Volvagia?" another pointed out "I thought that creature was defeated by the Gorons long ago."

"Why hasn't the Spirit of Light acted?" another Zora questioned "Are they not supposed to protect us?"

"You guys ask a lot of questions" Krynne pointed out, looking back at them in annoyance.

"Do you know anything about all this?" one of them asked her.

"I do" Krynne replied "but I wouldn't have enough time to tell you all the details."

"Why is that?" the Zora asked "Are you trying to say those monsters intend to kill us?"

"No, no, nothing like that" she huffed, shaking her head before pointing towards the horizon "I mean the sun's almost ready to come up."

"What does the sun have to do with anything?" they questioned. Krynne sighed, shaking her head in annoyance.

"Have you ever heard of a vampire?" she asked, turning back to them.

Peeking over the horizon, the sun's first rays of the day began to shoot out over the sky. Quincey clenched his teeth, looking back towards the horizon with a look of agitation.

"What's the matter?" Nenshoeu asked, twirling his blade in his hand.

"It looks like our fight's going to have to be put on pause…" Quincey said grimly as he turned back to him. A sudden look of confusion came across his face as he saw the man no longer standing before him.

"No it won't!" came Nenshoeu's laughter from above him. Quincey looked up, his eyes opening wide as Nenshoeu's boot came down hard against his forehead. Loosing his balance, Quincey dropped down towards the lake only for Nenshoeu dive off the dragon's back after him.

"Son of a…" Quincey began, his words cuts off as he fell beneath the water's surface. His descent slowed by the water, he watched above him as Nenshoeu came into the water after him, taking hold of him by the ankle. Quincey's words were garbled by the water as Nenshoeu spun around in the water before launching him into the cavern opening at the bottom of the lake.

"Oh for Din's sake" Krynne groaned as the two of them disappeared beneath the water's surface, Volvagia soaring off above the clouds "alright, come on Kino let's get down there before he beats us to the Sage." There was a moment a silence before Krynne spun around, looking about at the crowd of Zora. "Kino…?" she repeated curiously "Now where did he go?"

"Bitch!" Quincey snarled through clenched teeth as he emerged into the empty chamber. Glaring at the doorway he'd smashed through, he got to his feet as he cracked his knuckles.

"The sun can't get you in here, can it?" Nenshoeu chuckled, resting the blade of his sword over his shoulder as he stepped into the room.

"I guess I should thank you" Quincey smirked, stretching his neck to the side until he heard it crack "now I can take my time and _enjoy_ ripping you apart!"

"Tough talk coming from the guy who hasn't even managed to rip my coat yet" Nenshoeu replied with a grin, readying his weapons.

"Well, I suppose you've proven to be worth my effort at this point" Quincey admitted "I'll quit fooling around and show you just much stronger than you I really am."

"Okay" Nenshoeu laughed "but no asking your friend for help!"

"Friend?" Quincey repeated. His ears twitching, Quincey spun around at the sudden sound of foot steps to see the elven figure standing next to the tree at the center of the room.

"Kino, wasn't it?" Nenshoeu asked, stepping forward "It's good to see you again! Sorry for leaving you hanging at the mountain…" he paused a moment as he looked down, a baffled look on his face "Why do I keep making these puns?"

"What are you even doing?" Quincey questioned, looking back at the elf "Shouldn't you be looking for the Sage if you're already down here?" There was a long silence as the elf lifted their head, an eerie red glow filling their eyes.

"How is a tree even growing down here?" Nenshoeu questioned looking around "Wait, where are the walls?" Quincey looked back at him before looking about the room.

"What happened to the doors?" the vampire snapped, looking out at the vast emptiness that seemed to go on infinitely around them. The two of them looked at each other before looking back towards the elf who still stood by the lifeless tree in what seemed to be the center of this chamber.

"That doesn't feel like the Kino I met at the mountain…" Nenshoeu pointed out.

"I'm beginning to think this might be one of the dungeon's traps" Quincey grumbled, readying himself for combat "I could've avoided it if you hadn't tossed me in here like that…"

"Perhaps we should save the argument for after we deal with this" Nenshoeu suggested as the elf began to step forward. As they approached, their skin and clothes faded to black and the shadow they had cast vanished from beneath their feet. Reaching out, they took hold of the black blade them seemingly phased out of the floor and floated into the air before them.

"Please" Quincey huffed, rolling his eyes "it's just a copy of Kino: I could deal with both of you in my sleep if I wanted to."

"How do you know?" Nenshoeu questioned "Have you even seen him fight?"

"He's just an elf boy with a sword" Quincey reminded him as he looked back at him "what's the worst he can do?" Quincey's eyes shot open wide as he felt a sharp pain in his chest, slowly turning to look down at the elf who stood before him with their blade buried into his chest.

"Shit!" Nenshoeu exclaimed stepping away as he watched. The elf looked up at Quincey with their glowing red eyes, tilting their head to the side slightly. His eyes rolling up, Quincey's body fell limp against the blade as he lost consciousness. Pressing their foot against his chest, the elf pulled their blade out of his body and launched Quincey's body back through the air in one swift action.

Turning back to face Nenshoeu, they sliced their blade through the air as their red eyes locked onto him with a cold glare.

"Oh right" he said, shaking his head "stabbing a vampire through the heart… No wait! That still shouldn't have been enough to kill him!" Twirling their blade in hand, the black elf stepped towards him, the sound of their footsteps echoing through the air. "What the hell are you?" he demanded, his blades disappearing from his hands as he drew the pistols out from beneath his cloak.

The elf came to a stop as Nenshoeu aimed his guns at it, tilting their head curiously. Taking his time to focus his aim, Nenshoeu took a few steps away from them as he readied to pull the triggers.

"Whatever you are, I sure as hell don't wanna get close to you" he said with a breath. The elf clenched their blade tightly as they watched his movements, their gaze locked on the barrels of his guns. "Alright" Nenshoeu muttered "let's see how you react to these."

As he fired his weapons, the elf's eyes shimmered and they leapt forward. Bringing their blade down against the floor, the elf launched themselves into the air as the bullets whistled past them. Raising his arms to follow the elf's movements, Nenshoeu continued to fire, moving back and away from them at a quicker pace.

Jerking their arm forward, the elf began spinning their sword with inhuman speed and creating a circular black blur before them. The bullets ricocheted off the sword's blade, flying off in every direction as the elf sailed through the air towards Nenshoeu.

"Jesus!" Nenshoeu exclaimed, his eyes open wide as he continued to step away, firing relentlessly at the approaching elf.

Their red eyes shimmering once again, the black elf jerked downward. In one quick movement they landed at Nenshoeu's feet and stepped forward as they sliced their blade through the air. Nenshoeu looked down in terror as his guns were knocked form his hands, his scythe and sword quickly reforming as he brought them down to stop the black blade's second swing.

"Just an elf with a sword my ass!" Nenshoeu huffed, gripping his weapons firmly in hand as he pushed back against the black elf's sword. Looking up at him, the elf pulled away before leaping back, leaving several feet between them.

Quincey groaned as pulled himself up to a sitting position. Placing a hand over his chest, he looked down at the blood dripping from his wound.

"This was my favorite suit" he grumbled, slowly getting to his feet. Looking across the room, he narrowed his gaze on the black elf where they stood across from Nenshoeu. "Hey, dragon-tamer!" Quincey called out as he stepped towards them. Both Nenshoeu and the black elf looked over towards Quincey, a look of relief crossing Nenshoeu's face.

"Oh ya, now I remember" Nenshoeu sighed, wiping the sweat from his forehead "a vampire remains unconscious when they're stabbed in the heart, but that doesn't kill them, now it makes sense."

"Ya and now I'm going to show you what happens when I stab it through the heart!" Quincey snarled "So step aside: this bastard's mine."

"Fine" Nenshoeu replied, stepping way from them "that gives me time to figure out how the hell we get out of here."

"Ya, you go do that" Quincey said grimly, his cold glare locked on the black elf "as for _you_…" The elf turned to face him, tilting their head to the side as their eyes met his, an emotionless stare locked on the vampire as he came to a stop "Let's see how tough you are when you have to face someone head on."

"It did stab you in the chest" Nenshoeu pointed out "you're the one who underestimated it and looked away."

"Remind me I still have to kick your ass when I'm done with this thing" Quincey grumbled, shooting a cold glare Nenshoeu's way.

"Ah!" Nenshoeu said with a grin "You're looking away again!" Quincey took a heavy breath as he looked back at the black elf, their blank gaze still locked on him.

"Well, ladies first 'Kino'" he said coldly, readying himself. The elf remained silent before holding their blade out before them as their eyes flickered.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Buried Bones**

The long hallway was deathly silent. An unpleasant sense of death filled the air within the bare stone walls, plant life growing up from the cracks between the stone slabs of the floor. The doors all shut tightly, no form of light was present and all warmth was absent.

At one end of this corridor, a single door cracked open. No light came from the chamber beyond it, nor did any sound. The door opened further, though only long enough for the two figures to slip past it. They closed the door tightly behind them, being careful not to break the silence.

The two figures then looked about the hall. Each of them were dressed in tight-fitting suit, seemingly made of cloth, with various bandage-like clothes decorating their form. This included wrappings around their arms and legs and a hood that connected to a vest-like garment over their upper torso.

Both of them peered about the area through crimson red eyes, the long braid hanging freely out a slit in the back of their hoods swaying as they moved their heads. Moving silently, they made their way across the hall, watching each door as they passed.

Reaching the opposite end of the hall, the two of them pressed their backs against the wall on either side of the lone door. It was clearly larger than the other doors in the hall and was lined with a thick rim that sealed any seams there may have been around the door. They paused a moment to look at one another before nodding to each other as they stepped away again.

Stepping forward, one of the figures took hold of the handle with both hands. The chest of their slim body expanding as they took a heavy breath from beneath their hood, they pulled the door open with a single heave. The two of them peered into the darkness beyond the doorway, only the first several steps of the descending staircase visible.

"You think the dungeon's down there?" one of the figures asked.

"Only one way to find out" the other replied. Taking another heavy breath, the two of them started making their way down the stairs, carefully eyeing the steps, ceiling and walls as they went. The stairs curved as they got farther down, seeming to begin a spiral before ending at an open doorway.

A dim light flicked from within the chamber before them, the echo of pacing footsteps filling the air. Cautiously entering the chamber, the two figures narrowed their gaze as they peered about the room.

"So irritating…" hissed a voice up ahead. The two of them glanced at one another briefly before moving deeper into the room, the light revealing the room's interior as they approached its source.

The flames of a lone candle sitting at the center of a large wooden table, the light source brought warmth to the small area it reached out to. Within this sphere paced the cloaked figure, their arms folded behind their back as they walked back and forth in front of the large cell along the wall opposite the table.

The two figures stopped just beyond the candle's glow, their eyes locked on the pacing figure. The cell before him was empty, the walls and floor as bare as the rest of the chamber. His only company seemed to be the chair at the table's side and a large piece of parchment rolled up beside the candle.

"She has no idea how to run an empire!" the man grumbled, shaking his head furiously. Coming to a stop the man spun around, the outline of a young man's face becoming momentarily visible from beneath his hood.

"She is our superior" the man snapped, his voice changing notably to that of a much healthier and younger man "we have no right to question her commands." The man took several steps before coming to a halt, spinning around once more. A low snarl escaped his lips, a raspy, ancient voice returning as he spoke.

"We have _no_ rights while you let her push us around" he spat, stepping forward once again "we've let this scum desecrate our home and are forced to tend to those spoiled brats!"

"We do as we are told!" the man barked, his voice changing again as he spun around "We gave our word to serve her without question!"

"_You_ gave our word!" he hissed, turning around again as he began to pace again "I have sworn nothing…"

"Will you oppose me?" he questioned, coming to a halt as he looked toward the candle. The man remained still and silent, the sound of cracking bones erupting from beneath his robes.

The two slim figures watched him curiously from where the hid beyond the candle's light. They slowly moved back and away from the man as he stepped towards the table, reaching out and taking hold of the sheet of parchment. Slowly unrolling it, he laid it out across the table, using the palms of his hands to hold it down at the sides.

"You know well what would happen if you and I were to fight" the man, his voice still that of a young man's. There was another long pause as he ran a hand across the page. "Who would care for your beloved home?" he questioned, looking down at it "Who would discover the secrets that remain hidden still even to you?"

The man raised his head, the parchment rolling back up as he turned away and stepped back towards the cell.

"You're a cruel one to share a body with" he said quietly, his voice returning to its sickly unhealthy tone "but I suppose you leave me with no options…" A violent chill crept through the air as the sound of bones twisting and churning beneath flesh echoed through the room. One of the figures cupped their hands over their ears, biting down on their lip as they held back a cry of pain.

Tilting his head to one side and then to the other, the man slowly turned towards the stairway. The sound of his footsteps echoed through the chamber as he made his way to the stairs, disappearing up the stone steps. Once the man was gone, one of the figures moved to the other's side, placing an arm around their shoulders.

"Zelda, are you alright?" they asked, looking the other over thoroughly. Taking a breath, Zelda lowered her hands to her side, looking back at her companion before giving her a nod.

"I'll be alright" she assured them, looking back towards the table. Following her gaze, the other figure stepped into the light as the two of them approached the table. They eyed the rolled up parchment curiously, standing at one another's side by the table.

"Do you think this is the map we're looking for?" they asked, giving Zelda a quick glance.

"I don't know" she admitted, shaking her head as she glanced back at the cell behind them "the map was supposed to be in the dungeon where that girl was kept, but there's no one else here."

"Perhaps they were moved" they offered, looking back at her again "if she revealed to us the map was here, they probably moved her to keep her from seeing anything else."

"What is left down here to be seen?" Zelda asked, looking back at them.

"I'm sure this will tell us" they told her as they looked back down at the table. Taking hold of the parchment, they unrolled it out over the table and revealed the contents printed on its surface.

The page displayed a large, obnoxiously detailed layout of a labyrinth-like structure. Fine, indistinguishable letters and symbols littered the page with seemingly no structure across the solid lines of the outlined rooms and hallways. Disorganized images filled parts of the map, further disorienting the chaos of inked writings.

"What the hell is this?" the figure exclaimed, shaking their head in disgust.

"Reika, keep your voice down!" Zelda insisted, holding a hand over her lips.

"Sorry…" she huffed, taking a breath "But just look at this…" Zelda sighed as she glanced back down at the parchment, a look of disappoint me crossing her face.

"I'll admit I had expected a more… Proper map" she told her "But we are in a foreign land and we knew there was a chance they'd use different writings…"

"This isn't writing!" Reika pointed out, holding the parchment up to her "This is barely legible! My husband's horse could do better than this!"

"I'm sorry…" Zelda said softly, looking away towards the floor. Reika sighed, shaking her head as she tossed the page back down.

"I can't believe we came all the way down here for this" she grumbled "what good is it to anyone, let alone us?"

"Perhaps those who've learned the forger's penmanship" Zelda suggested, looking up and back at her.

"What do you mean?" Reika asked, looking back at her curiously.

"I mean maybe we can find someone who knows how to read this" she explained, picking it up off the table and unrolling it once more as she looked it over "someone in this place must be able to read this map."

"But how're we going to get anyone from this place to read it to us?" Reika asked, crossing her arms over her chest "We can't let them know we have it or they'll take it back."

"We could copy bits and pieces" Zelda suggested "take clusters of these symbols and put them on a piece of paper and then show those to a butler and ask if they can read it."

"How will we explain the papers?" Reika asked "And how will we know which clusters form actual sentences or words?" Zelda thought for a moment, rolling the map back up in her hands.

"I don't know…" she admitted, shaking her head "But there must be some way we can translate this."

"Well we'll hold onto it for now" Reika assured her, letting her arms drop to her sides "at least if it goes missing that's one more thing they're worrying about which means they'll have less time to focus on us."

"Right" Zelda agreed with a nod, tucking the parchment away in a pocket "we need to take any edge we can get."

"Now let's get out of here before Zmiaj gets back" Reika insisted, stepping past the other princess towards the stairs. Zelda nodded as she followed after her, the two of them beginning to make their way up the steps.

"Who do you think he was talking to?" she asked, looking over at Reika as they went.

"I haven't the slightest idea" Reika admitted with a shrug "he was probably just talking to himself: I can't imagine someone like him having any friends to vent at."

"That seemed like a bit much for someone who was just talking to himself" Zelda pointed out "it was like his mind was arguing with his body for control."

"I suppose it's worth taking note of" Reika admitted "if he has some kind of inner turmoil, we could use that to our advantage."

"And who is this woman he was talking about?" Zelda questioned "It sounds like she's the one who's making him do all this."

"No one makes people do things" Reika told her, looking back to her "he's made his own choices. We can't show him any sympathy or hesitate if we get the chance to beat him. Not after all the people he's hurt."

"I know…" Zelda assured her, nodding reluctantly "But if he's only a puppet and he could do so much… I'm afraid to think of what kind of power this woman has."

"She may not have any" Reika told her "powerlessness often leads to cowardice in the weak willed, which is probably why she hides while her minions do all the work."

"I guess" Zelda sighed, lowering her head "I just hope we have a chance against them… Even if we escape, that won't stop them from coming after us again and going into hiding would mean making our people sacrifice even more…"

"We're doing what we have to" Reika reminded her "we can't just sit here doing nothing while our people struggle without our guidance. They look to us for inspiration and we need to show them we're working just as hard as they are. Trust and loyalty is the one thing we share with our people that these monsters can never break."

"You're right" Zelda said with a nod, taking a breath "I need to stop feeling bad and work to aid my people... I have to-" Her words were cut short as Reika threw an arm out in front of her, both of them coming to an abrupt stop.

Standing in the doorway only a few feet ahead of them, Zmiaj held an armored skeleton a few feet off the ground at arm's length. The two princesses quickly moved to hug the wall, watching quietly as they tried to stay hidden.

"Why is this door open?" Zmiaj snarled, the sound of his voice no longer distinguishable from the two he'd spoken with before "I made very sure it was closed warned you idiots to stay out!"

"It wasn't any of us, sir!" the skeleton insisted, shaking its head frantically "None of us have entered this hallway until you called me in here!" A low hiss came from beneath Zmiaj's hood as he released his grip on the skeleton, dropping it to the floor.

"Then someone else has entered my realm" he growled, turning back towards the staircase.

"Shall we send a search party?" the skeleton questioned, glancing past him down the stairway.

"No" he assured it, looking back at it "they've trespassed on my property and I'll see to their eradication personally." The skeleton nodded as Zmiaj turned back to the stairs, beginning to walk back down them towards the unseen princesses "You return to your post and let the others know keep an eye out for intruders."

"Yes sir!" the skeleton replied with a nod before turning away and marching off down the hall. Reika and Zelda looked at one another in horror as Zmiaj approached, the sound of his footsteps sending a chill down their spine with each step.

"What do we do?" Reika whispered frantically, quietly stepping back down a few steps. Zelda bit her lip, placing a hand on the step before her as she watched Zmiaj grow nearer. Reika looked from Zmiaj to Zelda as the area around Zelda's hand gave of a momentary green flicker. Zmiaj came to a halt as the moment the light broke the darkness, disappearing as quickly as it appeared.

"It seems my guests haven't left yet" he said with an amused tinge to his voice "I guess that means I'll get to work off some of this stress after all." As he resumed making his way down the stairs, Zelda moved back to Reika's side, taking her by the arm.

"Let's go!" she insisted, Reika nodding to her as they darted silently back down the stone stairs. Emerging once more into the candlelight room, Zelda pulled Reika towards the wall, the two of them becoming motionless against the wall beyond the candle's glow.

Coming down the final steps, Zmiaj came to a stop in the doorway as he looked about the room.

"Hiding in the shadows won't help you" he said allowed, stepping into the room towards the table "but do try your best to avoid me. It'll make your eradication all the more satisfying if I have to work for it." Reika and Zelda watched quietly as he stepped past them. He came to a halt beside the table, looking down at it curiously and tilting his head slightly.

"Let's see how important that really is to you…" Reika said under her breath, glaring at him with a burning hatred. Zmiaj turned to face the table fully, looking over its surface as a sickening cracking sound came from beneath the sleeves of his cloak.

"Little, thieving vermin" he said grimly, a skeleton hand revealing itself as he placed it down on the table "I suppose the proper term for your death will be extermination…"

"I think that answers our question" Zelda said quietly, a slight smile coming across her face.

"How I wish I could see the look of his face under that hood" Reika said with a smirk, glancing back at Zelda.

"Alright" Zmiaj said with a sigh, turning away from the staircase as he moved deeper into the chamber beyond the candle's light "it is time for you to meet your end." The two princesses moved silently along the wall, concealed by the shadows as they made their way toward the stairs.

"We'll see you at breakfast, you heartless bastard" Reika muttered, glancing back into the room as she went to step up the stairs. Her eyes opened wide, a look of terror crossing her face as she felt the invisible force that blocked their path. "He's blocked it off!" she gasped, looking back at Zelda "We're trapped!"

"Had you expected me to simply let you leave?" Zmiaj laughed as he reappeared within the candle's glow, walking casually towards the stairs "You aren't the first one to enter my home uninvited." Reika looked back at him with a scowl, clenching her fists at her sides as he came towards them.

"You bastard" she growled "he's trapped us in."

"Do you realize now your error?" he laughed, lifting the candle up off the table and carrying its light toward the staircase "You won't escape this place with your lives."

"What do we do?" Reika questioned, looking back at Zelda "The only way he won't kill us is if we tell him who we are."

"Just stay calm" Zelda assured her, looking back at her. Reika paused a moment, watching as Zelda took her hand and held it firmly in her own.

"What are you…?" Reika began to ask, her words trailing off as the light came over them, driving away the shadows that had hidden them.

"Ah, so you're the culprits" Zmiaj said with a chuckle, shaking his head "a pair of thieves who've no where left to run. I certainly hope you can put a fight. I'd hate for this to be all over so soon."

"Then I'm afraid you'll be very disappointed" Zelda told him, glaring back at him "because we're leaving, now."

"Oh are you?" Zmiaj laughed, coming to a stop a few feet from them "And how do you plan to do that?"

"Like this" she snapped, pulling Reika close to her as she held her arm out over their heads "Farore's Wind!" Zmiaj watched, holding an arm over his face as a blinding green light engulfed the two of them. The light persisted for only a moment longer before fading, the duo no longer standing before him. Zmiaj looked back at where they had been standing, clenching his fists tightly.

"Petty thieves…" he snarled, the fire of the candle dropping to the floor as he crushed the stick in his hand "I swear on _her_ life I will find you… And when I do, you best pray you're already dead!"


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Blood of a Shadow**

The vast emptiness seemed to go on indefinitely around him, the white surface beneath his feet covered in a thin layer of water. The distant clang of metal hitting metal rang through the air as he ran farther and farther from the lonely dead tree at the center of this vast nothingness.

"Damn it!" Nenshoeu huffed, glancing back and around once again as he came to a stop "This place goes on forever!"

"Still no luck?" huffed Quincey's voice as the swarm of bat-like creatures came down from above him, the irritated vampire reforming beside him in tattered clothing.

"There's no way out of this place!" Nenshoeu grumbled, shaking his head as the two of them looked back towards the tree "The only thing I can think of trying is taking out that elf."

"I'm working on it" Quincey growled, clenching his fists "the little bastard's putting up more of a fight then I expected."

"Then let me help you" Nenshoeu insisted "there's no way it can take on both of us!"

"No!" Quincey snapped, shooting a cold glare his way "I can handle a lone elf!"

"This is clearly more than an elf!" Nenshoeu exclaimed, looking back at him in annoyance "He dodged bullets! _My_bullets! Do you know what kind of reflexes someone needs to have to do that?"

"It's just Kino" Quincey assured him, looking back towards the tree.

"_Just__Kino?_" Nenshoeu grumbled, shaking his head as he followed Quincey's gaze "Have you even seen Kino fight before now? What if he _is_ more than just and elf? Maybe there's a reason he isn't in constant fear of being around a vampire twenty-four seven! Did that ever occur to you?"

Quincey rolled his eyes, going to speak as he glanced back at him again, but no words escaped his lips. Nenshoeu blinked, before turning to follow the vampire's blank stare, stepping back towards Quincey as he did.

Standing motionless a few feet away from them, the black elf looked back at them through the red glow of their eyes. With their arms crossed over their chest, they seemed almost bored as if they were waiting impatiently for something. Quincey and Nenshoeu gave one another a quick glance, Nenshoeu giving the vampire a doubtful look.

"I'll handle him myself" Quincey snapped, stepping past him. He turned his gaze back to the elf, his fangs extending as they drew their blade from its sheath. Nenshoeu shook his head, rolling his eyes as he turned and started off into the emptiness once more. "Alright" Quincey said grimly, glaring towards the elf as they raised their sword and pointed it towards him "give me your best shot."

The vampire vanished into a cloud of bats as the elf's blade sliced through the air where he'd been standing. Their eyes flickering a red light, a single bat let out a deafening cry as the sword's edge pierced through it. The remaining swarm flew back several feet before reforming Quincey's shape, the vampire wincing in pain as bat's blood ran down the elf's blade.

"Fucker" Quincey huffed, stepping towards the black figure as they turned to face him. He took a heavy breath before brushing a strand of hair from his face, his red and violet eyes filled with immeasurable rage "You know, up until now I was a bit worried fighting you might also hurt Kino, that this was one of those 'moral' challenges. But now, I really don't care: _I__'__m__going__to__kill__you_."

There was a moment of silence as Quincey took another step forward, a low hiss escaping his lips as he bared his elongated fangs. The elf tilted their head slightly, bringing their sword to the ground lazily as they looked back at him and mouthed the words 'bite me'.

His eyes shooting open wide, Quincey leapt forward towards the elf. The figure stepped to the side, Quincey pulling himself to immediate stop as he landed behind them. Quickly spinning around, he grabbed them by their shoulders and pulled them towards him, back-first. Their eyes flickering once again, the elf pulled their sword out to arm's length and turned it towards them self. Quincey raising his fangs, he brought his head down towards the elf's neck before jerking to a halt.

The two of them stood quivering, the black blade stabbing straight through both their chests. Quincey let out a faint gasp as he looked down at them, his gaze met by the fading red glow of their eyes. As he went to speak, his eyes fell shut and his body went limp on the black elf's back.

Kino let out a heavy sigh as the blackness faded from his body, disappearing along with the lonely tree and vast emptiness around them. Now standing in a small stone room, Nenshoeu stood only a few feet away from them as he looked about frantically.

"What the hell?" he demanded, spinning around to see Kino and Quincey, both still impaled by Kino's blade. "Kino?" he questioned, stepping towards them cautiously.

"Fuckin' biters" Kino winced, removing the blade from both their chests with a single, quick pull, letting Quincey drop to the floor behind him.

"Was that black thing you?" Nenshoeu asked, giving Quincey a quick glance before looking back at Kino.

"Ya" Kino coughed, placing a hand over his wound as he made his way over to one wall. He pressed his back against it as he slid down to a sitting position, breathing heavily as he put his sword down at his side.

"What the hell happened?" Nenshoeu questioned furiously, shaking his head in confusion "We were fighting, like, Super Dark Kino in this, plane of nothing!"

"We were under the influence of the Shadow Form" Kino explained, laying his head back against the wall "I came down here first and was infected with the shadow. It took my body and used it to combat you two after bringing you to a realm where you had no choice but to fight it. It used my body as a base, but had amplified my ability to mirror your combined strength so as to make it challenging."

"So what Quincey was fighting was you?" Nenshoeu asked, giving him a weary look over.

"Ya…" Kino nodded, lowering his head "And that wound cut right through both of us…"

"And you don't have anything to treat that…" Nenshoeu sighed, shaking his head.

"You better get going" Kino insisted, pointing toward one of the doors "Quincey will be awake soon and if he sees you he'll probably slow you down by trying to attack you again. The Sage should be just up ahead now that the guardian's been slain."

"It was nice knowing ya, Kino" Nenshoeu nodded, turning away from him as he stepped towards the door. Kino watched as he stepped through, closing the door behind him as he disappeared from sight. Listening a moment longer until he no longer heard his footsteps from the hallway beyond the door, Kino let out a relieved sigh.

"Damn it" he huffed, shaking his head as undid the first few buttons of his tunic, looking down at the blood stain on his white undershirt "that is never going to wash out."

"God damn it…" Quincey groaned, sitting himself up as he placed a hand over his chest "Again with the heart."

"It's about time you woke up" Kino called over to him, doing his tunic back up. Quincey sat up as he looked over at him, an irritable expression on his face.

"Kino?" he questioned, struggling to his feet "The _real_ Kino?"

"That's me" Kino nodded, jumping to his feet as he picked up his sword "in the flesh."

"What happened to the dark you?" Quincey asked, shaking his head "I remember I was about to bite him when he stabbed us both through the chest…"

"That was an illusion" Kino explained "Well, an illusionary creature: you see it altered the world around you and Nenshoeu when you guys entered the dungeon and it made you see it as someone who you knew you could win in a fight against. Then, it mirrored your combined strength and retaliated."

"So when it stabbed itself, it killed itself, causing the illusions to disappear?" Quincey said with a hint of uncertainty in his tone.

"Exactly" Kino nodded "it probably realized you were about to kill it and hoped that by stabbing you it would bring you with it in the process."

"And how did you get here?" he questioned.

"Well, once you killed it, the door opened back up" Kino explained "I came in here and found you unconscious so I waited for you to wake up."

"How long was I out for?" Quincey groaned, placing a hand on his forehead.

"Awhile" Kino nodded, putting his sword back into its sheath "Nenshoeu already went through here, but I think the dungeon guardian should still be keeping him busy."

"Guardian?" Quincey repeated "Wasn't that what that shadow creature was?"

"Oh that?" Kino laughed "No, no, no, no. Its power is based entirely on that of those it battles: the temple guardian is always a powerful entity."

"What's the guardian in this place?" Quincey asked, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked towards the door.

"One of my favorites" Kino chuckled, placing a hand on the hilt of his blade as he followed Quincey's gaze "The Giant Aquatic Amoeba: Morpha!"

The sun's rays glistened off the lake's face before the surrounding crowds of Zora. Krynne flew over the water's surface, looking down towards the cavern opening below with both curiosity and uncertainty.

"I wonder how they're doing down there" she huffed, circling around as she returned to the lake's edge, landing on Queen Rutela's shoulder "this is taking awhile."

"I'm sure everything is fine" Rutela told her, watching the cave entrance below like the other Zora as they all waited anxiously "Kino is with them after all and he's navigated this dungeon once before."

"He has?" Krynne questioned, looking back at her "That would explain why you made him that tunic." Rutela nodded, a faint smile crossing her face.

"He is as brave a hero now as he was twelve years ago" Rutela assured her.

"Twelve years ago?" Krynne repeated, rolling the number around in her head curiously "He hardly looks twenty."

"As he did then" Rutela nodded, glancing back at the small dragon.

"You're telling me Kino hasn't aged a day in twelve years?" Krynne asked in confusion "How?"

"I do not know" she admitted, looking back towards the water "until today, I was unsure if he was even still alive."

"Oh…" Krynne mumbled, following her statement with a gentle sigh "Great, so I'm traveling with a vampire _and_ some kind of never-aging elf."

"What of the man who rode Volvagia?" Rutela questioned.

"He doesn't travel with me" Krynne told her "in fact we're trying to beat him to Sage before he kills them."

"That man intends to kill the Sage?" Rutela exclaimed, looking back at her once more.

"Don't worry" Krynne assured her "whatever kind of monster that man might be, Quincey is much, _much_ worse."

"He rode the dragon that could bring an end to all of Hyrule like a horse" Rutela pointed out. Krynne paused before nodding, looking back at the water.

"Right…" she said, thinking for a moment before shrugging "Well I'm sure they'll think of something."

"That no good, lying, son of a…" Nenshoeu began, leaping to the side as rush of water came down, crushing the ground where he stood. "I can't believe he lied to me!" he growled, his guns appearing in each hand as he pointed them towards the pillar of water to stood up over pool in the center of the room "If he weren't dead already, I'd kill him!"

"I think he's a wee bit pissed" Kino told Quincey, the two of them looking into the large chamber from the doorway. The room was massive, the center filled with a deep pool of water with several water-like tentacles extruding from the massive pillar of water that ran up towards the chamber's ceiling.

"Okay so how do we get to the Sage?" Quincey questioned "I thought we had to kill this thing before the way to them opens."

"Only if you don't know where to look" Kino assured him, drawing his sword as he watched Nenshoeu avoid another attack from the pillar of water "now you can't cross running water, so you're gonna have to stay here: if Nenshoeu sees me, do your best to cover me, alright?"

"Gladly" Quincey assured him, cracking his knuckles. Kino nodded and slipped into the room, darting towards the pool.

"Take this you son of a bitch!" Nenshoeu boomed, firing off several shots towards the pillar. The bullets flew through the air, crackling with electricity as they sliced through the water, the sparks jumping from the bullets and coursing through the pillar down to the pool.

"Hang in there, Morpha" Kino said quietly, pausing at the water's edge as the electricity ran through it. He glanced back towards Nenshoeu, biting his lip impatiently as he twirled his sword in hand. Nenshoeu took a breath, watching as the tentacles retracted into the water, the pillar sinking below the pool's surface as a lone tendril floated up and revealed a large eyeball.

"Ah-ha!" Nenshoeu grinned, aiming his guns towards it "Big generic weak spot! I almost thought you were gonna be challenging." As he prepared to pull the triggers, he felt Quincey's fist smash into his stomach, launching him back into the wall.

"Remember me?" Quincey asked him with a smirk, cracking his neck as he stood upright. Nenshoeu glared back at him through clenched teeth as he got his feet, his guns disappearing from his hands. "Ya you do" Quincey snickered, brushing a strand of hair out of his face.

"Huh, so you did get up pretty quickly" Nenshoeu huffed, his scythe and sword appearing in either of his hands "maybe Kino just didn't know this thing was in here."

"I told you, you were next" Quincey reminded him "don't think I'm gonna wait around for you to play in the bath with your toys."

"Alright, fine" Nenshoeu said calmly, a sly smirk crossing his face "let's finish this little game once and for all."

"Ya, well, I won't be playing around this time" Quincey assured him "I've had enough crap to deal with today, so I'm just gonna kill you quickly."

"Interesting" Nenshoeu said with a nod, taking a fighting stance "but let's not forget who's afraid of getting wet."

"Water in a pool is still, not running" Quincey pointed out to him.

"It is if it's a whirlpool" Nenshoeu corrected, twirling his weapons in hand. Nenshoeu leapt forward, flipping through the air over Quincey's head as he dove into the water. Quincey spun around, watching as the eye at the center of the pool sunk back down below the surface.

"What the hell is he doing?" he questioned, looking down into the water. His eyes widened as he saw the water begin to move, a slow current beginning to flow around the water's edge. He stepped back and away from it, the current began to pick up speed, small waves beginning to form as they splashed over the pool's edge onto the stone floor.

"How's that?" Nenshoeu laughed, leaping out of the water as the pillar of water shot back up out of the center of the whirlpool created by the current.

"Getting help from a water creature?" Quincey huffed, shaking his head in disgust "I thought you'd at least fight me yourself."

"Are you kidding?" Nenshoeu laughed, landing on the other side of the pool "I learned this trick when I crashed the Prince of Demons' pool party!" Quincey clenched his teeth, looking from Nenshoeu to the pillar of water as its tentacles rose up out of the water, swirling around in the world pool as they readied to attack.

"Alright" Quincey growled, baring his fangs as he braced himself "let's put an end to this foolishness." He and Nenshoeu launched themselves into the air towards the pillar of water, kicking themselves off the tentacles as they swung wildly through the air. The two of them flung themselves toward the pillar, each pushing through it as they attack one another.

His blades ricocheting off of Quincey's claws, Nenshoeu released his weapons and reached out to him. The vampire blinked in confusion as he was grabbed by the scruff of his shirt and felt himself get dragged down toward the rushing water below.

"Cannon ball!" Nenshoeu bellowed hysterically, pulling Quincey down to the whirlpool as the many tentacles turned inward and rushed towards them.

"Piss off!" Quincey barked, dispersing into countless bats as Nenshoeu hit the water. Scattering into the air, the bats darted past the tentacles and regrouped back at the room's entrance. As he retook his form, Quincey looked back at the monstrous water body, his eye twitching as he watched Nenshoeu leap out of the water. He spun through the air before landing on the opposite end of the room, looking back at the vampire through the massive waves with an amused grin.

"Now, be honest with me" he chuckled, running a hand through his hair as his scythe reformed in his free hand "do I know how to throw a pool party, or what?"


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: It Keeps Us From Going Anywhere

"What the hell's going on down there?!" Krynne exclaimed, watching as the ground surrounding the lake shook violently.

"So much power…" Rutela gasped shakily, taking a step back as he guards moved between her and the lake, readying their weapons.

"Queen Rutela, we have to move to safer ground!" one of them insisted "It's not safe here!"

"I don't think it's much safer at that palace, either…" Krynne pointed out, her expression overcome with awe. The Zora beneath her followed her gave to the head of the waterfall, shocked cries erupting from their mouths.

Volvagia let out a deafening shriek as it erupted from the stone ceiling, winding up through the air and wrapping its snake like body around the stone bridge above. The stone began to crack and crumble beneath the dragon's strength, rubble dropping down over the lake below.

"No!" Rutela cried, clasping a hand over her chest "Our home…" Volvagia let out a low growl as the flames erupted from its mouth, a stream of fire engulfing the bridge in an intense heat. The stone began to glow red, steam rolling off the bridge as the dragon tightened its grip on the now molten rock.

"Damn it!" Krynne hissed, darting a cold glare back down towards the lake "What the hell's taking them so long?!"

Waves rocked over the water's surface, splashing up and onto the stone floor of the small chamber, bits of stone breaking off the ceiling and walls as they crumbled to the floor.

"What is this?" the elderly man muttered, shaking his head in disbelief as he looked about the room in terror "Is it already too late? Is this the end of Hyrule…?"

"Not yet" Kino gasped. The man spun around to see the elf climb out of the seemingly small pool of water at the room's center.

"Who are you?" the man questioned, taking a step towards him "Are you the one who's come to free the Sages?"

"I'm the one trying to bring Zelda and Ruto back to Hyrule" he replied, straightening out his drenched tunic "think you can help me find them?"

"I… I know not where they are" the man admitted, lowering his head "Only the locations of two other Sages…"

"Are they the two dead ones you're not sensing the presence of in this world?" Kino sighed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Then you know of their deaths" the sage said grimly, looking back at him "do you know who killed them?"

"Yeah, one of the monsters I left my friend to deal with a room back" Kino replied, shaking his head as he turned back to the pool "though it seems doing so was a waste of time."

"Wait!" the man exclaimed, stepping towards him "Y-you don't intend to just let them kill me as well, do you?"

"I can't really stop them" Kino said with a shrug, glancing back at him "they rode Volvagia here – even if I pushed them back out of the lake, they'd make another way back in." The sage simply looked back at Kino in awe, their body shaking in terror as they fell to their knees "Now if you'll excuse me, I got to go help my friend out of here before she's killed."

"Do they intend to kill all of us?" the man asked shakily, lowering his head once more.

"If by 'us' you mean all six Sages, I think so" Kino assured him with a nod, looking back towards the pool again.

"Is there any hope for our survival…?" he asked in almost a whisper. There was a long silence before Kino looked back at him, taking a small bottle out from the inside of his tunic.

"Catch" he said simply, tossing it in their direction. Their elderly man lifted his head, holding his hands out in time to catch the bottle. He lifted it up, a confused look upon his face as he examined the white liquid inside.

"Milk…?" the man said in confusion, looking back towards Kino with a raised brow.

"You can use teleportation magic, right?" Kino replied, turning back to the pool again. The sage's eyes opened wide as his face light up with realization, looking back at the bottle.

"This will rejuvenate my power?" he gasped, holding the bottle firmly in both hands as he stared at it intensely.

"I'll come find you after to get the bottle back" Kino assured him, taking a step back and sinking into a crouching position "so try not to break it." With that, Kino leapt forward, diving back into the pool he had emerged from.

Crackling sparks of electricity ran up the liquid tendrils as they shot up into the air, waving about wildly throughout the thrashing waves of the whirlpool. Nenshoeu grinned, his blades clenched tightly in hand as he looked out over the raging waters at the vampire who floated a few feet over the waves with clenched fists on the other end of the room.

"Is this really all you can do?" he laughed, lifting his scythe up and resting over his shoulders "Come on – there's got to be more to you then this!"

"Cheap talk for a guy who relies on weapons" Quincey spat, shooting him a cold glare "I'd be pretty cocky too if I had all my toys from home on hand."

"A weapon is only as good as its wielder" Nenshoeu replied, holding his sword up and pointing its blade towards him "it's not my fault you're dumb enough to travel unarmed." Quincey rolled his eyes as he shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest.

"What can you even do without those blades?" he huffed "Teleport away to the safety of your home when you meet some one who's got shinier toys?"

"Do you know how many sore losers like you have tried the 'psychological' approach on me?" Nenshoeu sighed, lowering his blade as he shook his head "Nothing you say is gonna make me just abandon my favorite way to play to give you a 'fair chance' because as soon as I do, you'll find something else to bitch about and say I've got an unfair advantage."

"Ya know, I almost hope you live long enough for me to show you Zath" Quincey admitted, a bitter smirk crossing his face "then I'll get to see how well you stick to your 'only as good as its wielder' crap."

"You're really boring to talk to, ya know that?" Nenshoeu grumbled "I liked it better when you were pissed and cursing at me – why'd that stop again?"

"I stopped getting tossed about like a rag doll" Quincey replied through clenched teeth, moving back into a fighting stance.

"Oh yeah, that part was fun too" Nenshoeu chuckled, twirling his blades in his hands as he took a similar pose "I think we should do less of this boring stuff and go back to me kicking your ass."

"I'm going to enjoy killing you far more than I should" Quincey nearly snarled as he bared his fangs. The two of them moved through the air at blinding speed, Nenshoeu's blades coming down to meet Quincey's claws, a metallic clanging shrieking through the chamber as their attacks ricocheted off of one another. The two of them continued to swing at one another, focused on each other as they exchanged blows.

"Looks like you're starting to sweat" Nenshoeu said with a smirk, the two of them backing away from each other as a tendril of water shot up from between them "maybe you need another dip in the pool."

"First off, vampires don't sweat" Quincey said irritably "secondly, that's a lame set-up for trying to push me back under running water."

"Yeah, haven't really been at my A-game since I got cursed" Nenshoeu admitted with a half shrug "apparently being stripped of most of my power comes with the nasty side-effect of making really, really bad jokes."

"Or maybe you're just not funny" Quincey suggested, blinking in confusion as the water dropped back down to reveal Nenshoeu no longer floating on the other side of it.

"I doubt that" Nenshoeu assured him, bringing his knee down hard over the vampire's head. Quincey fell forward, clenching his teeth as the force of the blow sent down towards the water. He clenched his fists, coming to a stop a few feet from the water as he spun around to glare back up at his opponent.

"Cheap trick-" he began, his words cut off as Nenshoeu came down once more, his feet hitting Quincey's stomach hard and launching him into the water below.

"You really got to stop with the whole talking thing" Nenshoeu told him, twirling his weapons lazily in hand "you take too much time focusing on being clever and turn into an easy win." He floated over the waves for a moment, looking up as he spotted the bits of debris coming off the crumbling chamber walls. "Oh shit" he muttered, looking around as he floated back up towards the center of the room "I guess this place wasn't built for a wave pool."

"Then let's use it as a tomb" Quincey snapped. Nenshoeu looked down as Quincey came back up from beneath the waves, grabbing hold of his leg as his ruined flesh already began to regenerate itself.

"Wow running water really isn't great for you" Nenshoeu whistled, looking away with a look of disgust. Quincey clenched his teeth as he tightened his grip and pulled Nenshoeu down through the air, tossing down towards the waves. As soon as he was released, Nenshoeu spun around his guns appearing in his hands as he pointed them back up towards Quincey. The vampire grimaced before dispersing into a swarm of bats, scattering across the room.

"Now who's running?" Nenshoeu half-laughed, firing off several shots, each followed by the screech of a bat as he began picking them off individually. The bats quickly flew back through the air, meeting at its center to reform a now bullet riddled Quincey who glared down at Nenshoeu.

"What the fuck even are those?!" he demanded, his body slowly, but surely beginning to repair itself.

"Oh come on" Nenshoeu chuckled, twirling his guns between his fingers "where's the fun in telling you how I do what I do?"

"Fine, I don't care anyway" Quincey spat "you're finished now anyway."

"Oh yeah?" Nenshoeu asked, landing gracefully on the stone floor as he held his arms out to the sides with a questioning pose "And what makes you so sure you're gonna win?"

"Well for starters, you're out of running water" Quincey pointed out, a sly smirk coming across his face. Nenshoeu blinked, quickly looking about the chamber from where he stood at the bottom of the now empty pool.

"Where the hell did all the water go?" he questioned, a mixed look of confusion and terror crossing his face "This room was flooded literally two seconds ago!"

"I'm sure as hell not complaining!" Quincey assured him as he leapt forward, coming down fast with his claws and fangs bared. Nenshoeu shot a quick glance in his attacker's direction, his guns vanishing and his blades forming in their place. He spun around and brought his weapons up in one swift action, their thin blades slicing as easily through the air as they did the vampire's flesh.

"Break time" Nenshoeu huffed, Quincey's torso landing at his side, while his lower half collapsed at his feet "there might be an actual threat in here after all."

"Mother fucker…" Quincey coughed, blood running down his lips and chin "This was my favorite suit…" Nenshoeu continued to looked about the chamber, his eyes and ears perked and alert as Quincey's pieces faded into his swarm form once more.

"I wanna know who or what made all that water vanish faster than I could notice them" Nenshoeu said drearily "cursed or not, it takes some seriously fucked up power to get by me unnoticed…"

"Well people always do say there's something weird about me" Kino replied from where he stood atop the pool's edge. Nenshoeu spun around and looked up to see the elf grinning down at him, one hand holding his dripping cap atop his head.

"Kino?" Nenshoeu muttered, a look of utter confusion crossing his face.

"Like the Sage, is getting the hell out of here before this whole place caves in" Kino replied, taking a step back from the pool's edge "come on Bat-Boy, we're done here!"

"Oh no" Quincey snarled as he reformed in one piece a short distance from Nenshoeu "I'm finishing this now."

"How the hell are you standing?!" Nenshoeu demanded, clenching his fists.

"Uh, vampire…" Quincey began.

"Not you!" Nenshoeu snapped before glaring back at Kino "I left this mother fucker to die with a hole in his chest!"

"Wait, what?" Quincey muttered, blinking in confusion as he glanced up towards Kino. The room was quiet for a moment, Kino looking around the room as he took another step back.

"I had a spare fairy?" Kino answered with a shrug.

"What the fuck does that even mean?!" Nenshoeu boomed, stomping his foot down hard on the stone floor. The stone cracked beneath the force of his boot, the entire chamber beginning to rumble violently as more debris began to rain down upon them.

"Oh thank god" Kino sighed sarcastically as the ceiling began to come crashing down, gallons of water rushing down upon them from the lake above "I was worried I'd have walk back through the front of the dungeon."

"Oh shi-" Quincey yelped, his words drowned out by the rushing waves as they filled the room almost instantly. Nenshoeu simply grumbled under his breath as he leapt up into the air, diving through the water as it came down from above.

"Fine" he huffed to himself, shooting up into the air as he emerged out from beneath the waves, the sun's rays glistening off the water of his coat and steel of his blades that once again formed in his hands "we'll take this party outside!"


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Load From Last Save

Krynne and Rutela backed away from the raging waters before them. The crowd of Zora similarly retreated from the water's edge, the earth around the lake shaking violently beneath their feet.

"Queen Rutela!" one of them cried out "We must leave this place now, it's too dangerous for us to stay any longer!" Rutela took a step back from the lake, looking back towards her subject.

"Then go!" she called back "Save as many as you can and head up stream!"

"But your majesty, you cannot stay here alone!"

"The Spirit of the Lake will protect me" she told them sternly, turning her gaze back to the lake "we must escape this destruction or we'll die along with our home!" The Zora were hesitant, looking to one another in uncertainty.

"Well you heard the lady!" Krynne snapped, shooting a cold glare back at them, the volume of her voice causing them to recoil from her in shock "Get everyone to safety before you all get crushed!" With the small dragon's encouragement, the guards nodded in agreement as they retreated from the lake and towards their domain.

"Thank you…" Rutela said softly, looking back at her little ally "I lack the sternness of my husband, I can't inspire them as firmly as he could…"

"Don't mention it" Krynne assured her "But why aren't we getting out of here too? Things seem to be getting a little…" The fairy dragon glanced back up at flaming dragon above as Volvagia let out another deafening roar into the sky "Out of hand…"

"I must know the fate of the Sage and Kino…" the Zora queen answered softly, holding her balance firmly against the tremors that shook through the ground "I can't leave until I know they're safe…" Krynne gave a determined nod, looking from her to the raging waters before them.

With a sudden bang, the water erupted into an aquatic rupture, chunks of stone and dirt launched upward as a geyser formed at the center of the lake. Leaping up from its center, Nenshoeu bolted up into the air, his cloak fluttering in the air behind him as he flew forward. His landing brought a heavy thud beneath his feet, his weapons crackling with the otherworldly lightning before dispersing in his hands as he reached the lake's edge.

"Alright" he huffed, looking around as his eyes took on a green hue, a bizarrely out of place look of tranquility crossing his face "where is everybody?" A look of terror crossed Rutela's face as she watched him, shaking her head in disbelief.

"No…" she said shakily "It can't be…"

"What happened to Kino and Quincey?!" Krynne demanded, darting forward to hover between him and the queen "And what did you do with the Sage?!" Nenshoeu looked back at her curiously before his childish smirk returned.

"We all had a pool party" he told her simply, turning fully to face her "but I guess we got a bit carried away…" He turned his gaze back over to the lake, the geyser subsiding as the waves began to die down "Just look what happened to our pool!"

"Pool…?" Krynne repeated, a baffled expression crossing her face.

"Do you even understand the damage you've done?!" Rutela snapped, her fists clenched in tight fists at her sides. Nenshoeu and Krynne turned to face her, the aquatic noble speaking through clenched teeth as she shook with anger. "You've destroyed my people's home and defiled sacred grounds! You brought an unspeakable horror to our realm and cost us our very way of life! You dare bring such havoc and speak of it so lightly?!"

"Look lady" Nenshoeu sighed with a shrug "if you're looking for someone to blame, blame those precious Sages of yours. If their boss hadn't put this damned curse on me, I'd have dealt with him directly and been back to my own business by now."

"You mock us?" Rutela said grimly, her eyes burning with hatred "You claim the ones who guide the Sages, the Golden Goddesses themselves, drove you to bring such destruction to our land?"

"Golden Goddesses?" he repeated curiously "I don't know about any of them, but the armored dipshit who challenged me and then ran off with my friend used these 'Sages' to lay a curse on me and drain me of my power."

"Armored dipshit?" Krynne repeated, her confusion only growing as she looked back at Rutela "You have idea what he's talking about?"

"I've never heard of a champion amongst the Sages" Rutela replied grimly, breathing heavily as a drop of sweat trailed down her cheek "But I will hear no more of this man's blasphemy! To oppose the three Goddesses that formed this land and their heralds is to oppose both the Royal Family and all of Hyrule! He shall pay dearly for his crimes and pain he's brought to our people!"

"Oh really?" Nenshoeu asked with a laugh, folding his arms behind his head lazily "And who's going to enforce this 'divine punishment' upon me, you? Or the bastard who tried and failed to face me one on one, 'cause if he's handy I'd love to pay him back for making me run around this fanatic-filled hell hole."

Another of Volvagia's cries erupted into the air. Only Krynne lifted her gaze to it, Rutela and Nenshoeu locked on one another, the queen filled with rage by the unflinching casualty of the cloaked man.

"Well, your majesty?" he heckled, letting his arms drop to his sides "I'm waiting~"

"She isn't" Krynne pointed out curiously. The other two finally turned their attention to the fire dragon as it rose from the now ruined stone it had crushed beneath its might and soared high up and past the clouds with unsettling haste.

"Volvagia retreats from our land?" Rutela said softly, her tension dissipating as she watched the beast vanish into the sky.

"Aw, I missed my ride" Nenshoeu said with a frown, crossing his arms over his chest "now I'm going to have to walk the rest of the way."

"How do you think… I feel…?" came Kino's panting voice. Krynne, Nenshoeu and Rutela turned to see the young elf pull himself up from the lake's edge and onto the shore, holding an arm tightly over his chest "I don't even have a horse…"

"Kino!" Rutela exclaimed, quickly rushing to his side, dropping to her knees next to him "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine" he assured her with a half-hearted smile "nothing I can't sleep off."

"You sure?" Krynne asked, hover over the two of them "That looks like a lot of blood on your tunic." Kino glanced down at the deep red stains across his tunic and sleave of the shirt covering his arm he still held closely against himself.

"Ah, it'll wash out" he said with a heavy breath, leaning back where he sat, using his free hand for support "might just take a few cycles…"

"A tunic can be replaced" Rutela said shakily, leaning over him as she placed a hand on his cheek, tears forming at the edges of her eyes "a great friend and hero cannot…"

"What, no extra fairy this time?" Nenshoeu asked sarcastically as he looked over to them "Or do you have a one-hole-in-the-chest a day limit?" Rutela shot another cold glare back at him, tears now streaming down her cheeks.

"You heartless monster" she muttered through clenched teeth.

"You're still going after the other Sages… Right?" Kino huffed, looking back at Nenshoeu, his breathing becoming slow as he spoke.

"Well unless you've got a curse-breaking alternative" he replied in annoyance "how'd you get that old bastard out of there anyway?"

"Do you really care?" Kino asked, raising a brow as he sat upright "Or would you rather I use what breath's left in me to tell you where he went to hide?"

"Kino…?" Rutela gasped in shock, turning her eyes back to him.

"And I'd trust you a second time, because?" Nenshoeu questioned with a raised brow.

"You have any better leads…?" Kino asked, quickly averting his face before a cough escaped his lips, followed by a painful wheeze. Nenshoeu grimaced, Krynne and Rutela wincing as the elf turned back to him.

"What do you know?" Nenshoeu asked quietly, giving Kino an apologetic gaze.

"Head to the desert east of here…" he told him, pausing a moment to steady his breathing "In the southernmost point… You'll find a cave, buried beneath the sand… That's where the Sage of Water retreated to... To meet the Sage of Spirit…"

"They're grouping together now" Nenshoeu said with a smirk "I'm curious to find out if that makes my job easier or more difficult." He stepped over to the elf, Krynne watching him suspiciously, Rutela never lifting her gave from Kino. Nenshoeu knelt down in front of him, giving him a nod "Thanks for the tip… I only wish we'd met under more favorable circumstances. You seemed like a nice kid."

Rutela turned away as Nenshoeu got back to his feet, glancing back at Krynne as he stepped away.

"Hey, do me favor" he said slyly as his smirk spread into a grin "if that vampire did find a way to get himself out of there in one piece, point in my direction. I want to see what he'll think when he sees me with all my powers in tow." Krynne watched him walk off towards the east.

"Why'd you tell him where to find the Sages…?" Krynne asked as she hovered back over to Kino, looking down at him and Rutela sadly "Won't he kill them all now?" Rutela looked back at Kino, a frail smile on her face as he lifted his head to the small dragon with a smirk.

"Depends how much of the desert he explores" he replied with a half laugh, getting to his feet "unless he notices the Arbiter Grounds before he reaches the Great Farrie's Cave, he won't find them until after we've gotten to them."

"Wait…" Krynne shook her head, her eyes opening wide as she looked him over his surprise "You're okay?!"

"What, did you think all this blood was mine?" Kino asked with a half-laugh, Rutela getting up beside him as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"But then, who's…?" Krynne began, a baffled expression on her face. Kino turned his back to the sun and took his arm from his chest and undid the top most buttons of his tunic, revealing the irritated bat within. Krynne moved in closer with curious eyes as she peered at the small creature "Quincey?!"

"Almost didn't grab 'em in time" Kino admitted with a sigh, looking down at the bat as it glared up at them "seeing a grown man dissolve in water though… Not a pretty sight."

"You really are something else, Kino" Rutela said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder gently.

"Speaking of which" Krynne interjected, squinting back at Kino suspiciously "what are you, anyway?"

"What am I?" Kino repeated, looking back at the small dragon in confusion.

"No human or elf just doesn't age in over a decade" Krynne pointed out, making a quick circle around him and Rutela "and no kokiri grows to your size!" Kino looked from Krynne to Rutela.

"It's been twelve years since I last saw you" Rutela said softly "you seemed older than me then, but now I've grown up, married and had a child and yet you still look the same…"

"Has it really been twelve years?" Kino asked, looking up to the sky. Krynne and Rutela watched him quietly, awaiting his answer, but he remained quiet. When finally Krynne went to speak again, a low hiss came from the bat at Kino's chest.

"Oh my" Rutela gasped, stepping away from them, Kino and Krynne looking down at the winged creature.

"Ah right, we need to get him out of the sun" Kino said as he looked back up at Krynne "think you can find us some shade?"

"On it!" she said with a nod, quickly darting off through the air, past several of the stone debris that had fallen from the bridge above.

"Sure is fast for such a small dragon" Kino laughed as he glanced back down at the quivering bat against his chest "she'll find you a place to rest up in no time." Rutela was silent a moment as she watched Kino, curiously looking him over. The elf glanced back at her, his smile fading now "I'm sorry about your home. I hadn't expected him to cause so much damage."

"Nothing can be done about it now" she assured him, averting her gaze back towards the ruined bridge "all we can do is move forward and begin work to rebuild our home."

"I hope you work fast" Kino told her, looking up to the bridge as his smile returned "we don't prince Ralis to come home to a shattered kingdom."

"You still believe you can save him?" Rutela asked, turning back to him "Even against such overwhelming forces…?"

"I'm certain" he assured her, his gaze looking past the ruined bridge into the sky above, a distant cry of Volvagia echoing through the air.

"Hey!" Krynne called out as she zipped back into view "I found a thick brush of trees free of hungry monsters that'll keep us covered 'til night fall"

"Speedy and resourceful" Kino said with a smirk as he glanced back down at Quincey, using his free hand to point back up at Krynne "we certainly lucked out running into that little dragon, didn't we?" The bat simply gave a half shrug, begrudgingly rolling its eyes.

"Hey! Are you listening?!" Krynne called out, looping around the air as she flew up higher "Hey!"

"On our way!" Kino called back, waving over to the energetic sprite. He looked back at Rutela once more, giving the Zora queen a warm smile "I'll bring Ralis back, I promise." Rutela returned the smile and gave a gentle nod as he turned back in Krynne's direction and started walking. She watched him go until they left her vision and turned back to look over the once great lake before her.

"Arbiter Grounds, huh?" Nenshoeu muttered, pushing himself upright from the chunk of debris he'd been leaning on. A sly grin crossed his face as he looked back in the direction Krynne had led Kino, a gust of wind blowing back his coat as it fluttered around his waist. He was silent a moment before his grin faded and he turned back to face the east again.

"That's it?" came a disappointed voice in his mind.

"Piss off" he huffed, starting off towards the desert "you try coming up with clever quips when you're cursed."


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Cruel as a Keese

Reika laid quietly on the bed, her gaze locked on the dancing flames of the chandelier that hung from the ceiling above her. Her head resting on Reika's chest, Zelda slept peacefully with her arms wrapped around the other princess. Reika absently stroked the sleeping princess' hair as her thoughts whirled around inside her head.

"Was it really worth the risk…?" she said with a sigh, shifting her gaze down to Zelda "Who knows what might've happened to us if you didn't have that spell prepared…"

"You're joking!" cried a rattled voice from beyond the bedroom's doors "He can't be coming here!"

"Shush!" whispered another rattled voice "Do you want Zmiaj to hear you?" Reika looked over to the door as curiosity crept into her mind. Glancing back at the slumbering princess, she gently and carefully slid out of Zelda's arms and got out of bed. After taking a moment to ensure she hadn't woken her, Reika stepped quietly over to the doors and pressed an ear up against their surface.

"But he didn't really send for… Him, did he?" the voice came again in a frightened whimper.

"That's what I was told…" the other replied grimly, the sound of bones rattling following their words.

"All over a couple thieves breaking in?" they whined "T-that seems pretty extreme to me!"

"Keep your voice down!" the other voice snapped again "Apparently they actually got away with something and Zmiaj was pissed."

"Was?" the rattled voice exclaimed "Did you see him this morning? The goliaths were shaking in their iron-plated boots when he went down to the dungeon! Me and Rick thought he was going to rip that little witch to shreds!"

"Little witch…?" Reika repeated quietly, removing her ear from the door a moment "The other guest!"

"I said be quiet!" the voice yelped as Reika replaced her ear to the door "Do you want him to hear you and get even angrier?"

"No…" they muttered "But with the warden coming, he's going to have eyes and ears all over this place…"

"Yeah well, we're supposed to be the eyes and ears of this place" the other grumbled "How the hell did anyone get in and out of this place without any of us seeing them anyway?!"

"Maybe it was one of those ninja-guys from the canyon's peak" they offered, another rattle of bones coming from beyond the door.

"Aren't they supposed to be on our side though?" the other questioned.

"Yeah, that's what they want the boss to think" they grumbled "they're probably planning to sabotage our efforts and take the credit."

"What do we even need these nobles for?" the other asked "If we just wanted to claim their kingdoms, why didn't we just off them?"

"Beats the hell out of me" they sighed, bones rattling once again "but we should get back to our post. If Zmiaj finds out we're slacking off, we're done for."

"If he finds us, we're done for anyway" the other laughed half-heartedly "the mood he's in, he'll make an excuse to punish us."

"Yeah, no kidding!" replied the rattled voice with a laugh as they grew distant, their words following the sound of boney footsteps "Wonder if he'd throw is the cell with that cutie…"

Reika slowly took her ear from the door, stepping back over to the bed and taking a seat at its edge.

"Hmm…?" Zelda murmured with a yawn, her eyes cracking open as she peered over at the other princess.

"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you" Reika said softly, looking back at her with a soft smile.

"Is everything okay?" the drowsy princess asked as she sat up, rubbing her eyes lazily.

"I don't know" she admitted, glancing back towards the chandelier above them.

"You don't know…?" Zelda questioned, crawling over the bed and taking a seat next to her "What's wrong?"

"I overheard some of the guards talking outside our room" Reika explained, looking back at her, a faint smirk crossing her lips "seems that map is really important after all."

"Oh? What did they say?" Zelda asked curiously.

"Zmiaj is royally pissed" Reika said with a sigh, her smirk fading "but now he's got someone coming here to increase security, so it won't be easy for us to find someone to translate that map without being caught…"

"Ah…" Zelda said faintly, averting her gaze "So what can we do now?"

"I don't know…" Reika admitted as she turned back to her "All we can do-" Her words were cut off by a sudden cry of terror that shot through the chamber.

"What was that?!" Zelda exclaimed, spinning around to look from the door to Reika.

"That sounded like Ralis!" Reika gasped, getting to her feet. Zelda got up after her and the two of them rushed to the door.

Shaking in fear where he'd fallen, Ralis looked up terror at the broad figure that now floated over him.

Easily three times the Zora prince's size, the floating entity's entire form was as black as the dense swarm of massive, red-eyed bats that fluttered around them. Their head resembled an executioner's hood, an eerie yellow light emanating from the otherwise empty eye sockets. The rest of their body resembled a heavy black tattered cloak, draped around a shadowy rib cage that incased a large yellow sphere that gave off the same eerie yellow glow as they eyes.

"Ralis!" came Reika's cry as her and Zelda came bursting through the doors and into the dining hall, coming to a halt when their caught sight of the shadowy figure and the wicked scythe in its right hand.

"What… Is that?" Zelda asked shakily, swallowing hard as the figure lifted their gaze to them, their sinister grin widening.

"So many lively young faces" they cackled, floating back slightly from where they hovered over Ralis.

"Ralis, are you alright?" Reika questioned, rushing to the young prince and kneeling down next to him.

"Y-yeah…" he replied with a nod, sitting himself up as he looked from her back to the shadowy figure, his body still shivering in fear.

"Sorry for the scare" they chuckled, peering back down at them with a wide grin "I just wanted to ask the little one if he knew where the general was, but I'd forgotten how frightening my appearance was to children!" The figure let out another bellowing laugh as Reika helped Ralis to his feet.

"General?" she questioned, glaring back up at it.

"Master Zmiaj" interjected the skeletal butler as he phased up from the stone floor by the long table "he is one of the old master's four generals."

"Old master?" Zelda asked quietly, tilting her head in confusion.

"Ah, a butler" the shadowy figure snickered, turning towards the skeleton "where's the ol' bag-o-bones at?"

"I'm afraid I do not know, Sir Gomess" the butler replied with a humble nod of their head "Master Zmiaj stepped out a short while ago, but no one was told of when he'll return."

"Zmiaj is gone?" Reika questioned, looking back at the butler in surprise "Where did he go?!"

"He didn't say madam" the butler answered with a slight nod "I apologize, but the master's been in an unpleasant mood since last night."

"Why's that…?" Ralis asked quietly, Zelda and Reika glanced at one another before turning back to the butler.

"I'm not at liberty to say…" the butler told him with an unnerving mumble.

"Poor bastard had his castle broken into" Gomess exclaimed with a laugh, throwing his head back as the bats screeched in hysteria, causing Reika, Ralis and Zelda to wince "his no good guards couldn't even catch a couple thieves!"

"Please, sir…" the butler muttered, looking back to him "I don't believe Master Zmiaj would appreciate you sharing this information…"

"Don't interrupt him" Reika snapped, shooting a cold glare at the butler, Ralis and Zelda looking back at her in shock.

"Madam…" the butler began, his voice trailing off.

"As a server to royalty, you should know better than interrupting a guest!" she told him firmly "It is rude and improper!"

"Sorry madam…" the butler muttered softly.

"My, my, such a feisty one!" Gomess chuckled, looking back her, his grin never fading "But I must agree! First his guards can't keep out intruders, and now his butler is cutting off his guests: Zmiaj is in a great deal of need for new staff!"

"Indeed" Reika said with a nod, turning to face him once again "the service here is absolutely atrocious." The shadowy figure hovered down slightly closer to the floor as he drifted a bit closer to her.

"And who might you be, young lady?" Gomess asked curiously, the swarm of bats parting away from him and moving up towards the ceiling.

"Reika" she told him, holding her hand out to him, Ralis looking between the two of them nervously. Gomess took her hand in his, leaning his head forward as he brought her hand towards his mouth.

"Such a fine young lady" he said slyly before releasing her hand, floating back upright "I presume you're one of the royals general Zmiaj holds captive here."

"That I am" she answered with a nod "might I ask what brings you to this place?"

"Well, as I had been saying" Gomess said, shooting a quick glare at the butler "Ol' Zmiaj had his castle here broken into by a couple of thieves, so since his guards can't do their jobs, I'm here to take over security."

"Oh really?" she asked, glancing from him up to the bat like creatures that all now hung from the ceiling, starring back down at her through beady red eyes "With their help, I presume?"

"Yes, my little pets" Gomess laughed as he looked up at them with a grin "not a single soul will be leaving or entering this place without my knowing once they're set in place."

"Well, I don't mean to offend, but I'm rather shocked someone like yourself would be serving him" she said sweetly, brushing a strand of her hair from her face "I didn't think someone like him could have such good taste in company." Gomess laughed, throwing his head back as his voiced boomed throughout the room once again.

"Quite the silver tongue on this one!" he bellowed before looking back at her again "And here I was afraid I'd be watching over droning and whining prisoners, but it seems I might have some entertaining days ahead of me!"

"Pardon me" interjected the butler's voice, attracting glances from everyone else in the room "I apologize for cutting your conversation short, but I've been informed lunch is ready to be served."

"Then let's continue this conversation over a nice meal" Reika said with a smile, looking from the butler to Gomess "you will be joining us, won't you?"

"Alas, I have no need for such things as sustenance" Gomess replied, shaking his head "and I must be off to find that general – my mistress would be displeased were I to let the ol' fool ruin her efforts."

"Mistress…?" Zelda repeated softly, stepping cautiously towards them "You don't work for Zmiaj?"

"Good heavens no!" Gomess boomed as he turned to face her "Zmiaj is an intolerable bastard to say the least! It is by our mistress' request alone that I aid him now."

"Our?" Reika repeated "Zmiaj serves your mistress?"

"Yes" Gomess grumbled, the shadowy black creatures from above dropping down to reform the shroud of a swarm around him "she seems to think he is of some use to her cause… But it is not my place to question her, so for now I must bid you all farewell." With a nod, he turned away from them and drifted across the room to the set of open doors, sailing past the several skeletons that swept into the room with the meal in hand.

"Will that be all, madam?" the skeletal sever asked. Reika, Ralis and Zelda all now sat at the long dining table, each eating contently the meals that had brought before them.

"Yes thank you" Reika replied after sipping her glass "you may leave us." The sever nodded before taking its leave through a set of doors behind her.

"Reika" Zelda said curiously once the three of them were alone "may I ask why you were so friendly towards that… Specter?"

"You mean Gomess?" Reika asked curiously as she ate. Zelda replied with a nod, Reika putting down her fork as she wiped her lips. "Well, you remember what I told you I heard the guards say about someone coming to increase security? I figured, since he just got here, it might be him and decided the fastest way to find out was to make him feel comfortable enough to tell us why he was here."

"So you were just acting polite to get him to talk?" Zelda questioned.

"Well, kind of" Reika said with a half shrug "I guessed from how they spoke they didn't like this guy coming here, and by extension Zmiaj probably didn't either. The fact Gomess openly admitted to not liking Zmiaj was just lucky, but it means we might be able to use them not liking each other to our advantage."

"How so?" Ralis asked quietly.

"In my experience, my servants work much better together when they enjoy each other's company" Reika explained "my servants who've held grudges against one another often made a mess of things trying to have the other lose my favor."

"We're going to have him betray Zmiaj?" Zelda questioned "How are we going to do that?"

"I haven't thought that far ahead yet" Reika admitted with a shrug "I'm sure something will come to me."


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Blood Money

The sky was a deep violet as the sun set over Hyrule, the stretch of sandy deserts lining the horizon beyond the fading tree line. From above the clouds, the distant roar of Volvagia echoed through the air, bringing silence from the creatures of the forests below.

"Does that dragon never rest?" Krynne questioned, glancing up to the sky. The green dragon sat perched on a tree branch above her companions.

"She's been resting for nearly a century inside a volcano" Kino pointed out to her, his eyes shifting to the sky momentarily before returning his gaze to Quincey "she's likely got a lot of energy stored up…"

"But it smashed through an underwater wall of magic ice" she replied "you'd think that have worn it out!." After a brief silence, Krynne glanced down to the young elf and followed his gaze to the pacing vampire. Moving beneath the shadows of the trees, Quincey took heavy breathes as he alternated between grabbing at his chest and head, his violet hair a mess and his suit beginning to wrinkle from his constant clutching. "What's wrong with him?" Krynne whispered quietly.

"I'm starving" Quincey snapped, shooting a cold glare their way, coming to a stop as he braced himself against a tree "I haven't had a drink in days…"

"Right, vampire, you need blood, right?" Krynne said with a nod, more reminding herself than asking "Well if I remember correctly the desert's full of huge boar, so once we get moving you'll have plenty…"

"That won't help" Quincey interjected through gritted teeth, turning away from them as he continued pacing through the shadows of the trees.

"What? Why not?" Krynne questioned, a baffled look on her face "Blood's blood, isn't it?"

"It doesn't work that way, at least not in my lineage" he huffed, stopping at another tree as he glared ahead at the still setting sun "I crave the blood of people, elves and humans in particular."

"Wait, why those?" the little dragon asked, her eyes now locked in curiosity on him.

"Something to do with their blood substituting my own" he huffed with the shake of his head "the details are messy at best, vampirism has dozens of strands that differ from one another so no one can say for sure why any particular vampire's hunger differs from another… All I know is the more intelligent and more human-like the victim is, the better they sustain me. Animal blood's like drinking rat piss."

"Well that sucks" Krynne admitted "but why are you only getting thirsty now? I haven't seen you feast on anything but monsters since I met you" Quincey shot a cold glare back at Kino.

"Because that son of a bitch smothered me in fresh blood!" he barked, turning away from them again as he clenched at his chest more tightly.

"What?!" the now baffled dragon exclaimed, looking down at him "When did you do that?!"

"When he stuffed me down his tunic" Quincey hissed, turning back to face them once again. Kino looked from him up to Krynne, the little dragon's eyes locked on him in shock and confusion.

"It's practically water proof" he explained as he undid the buttons of his collar, opening it enough to expose the deep red stain across his white undershirt "the water pressure was enough to wipe it out of my tunic, but it kept everything beneath it dry, which is why I could protect him with it."

"Damn, that's a lot of blood" Krynne whistled, shaking her head "looks like you had a bloody hole in your chest."

"That's what that other bastard said" Quincey interjected "told me he left Kino here to bleed out in the room we got trapped fighting an illusion in, but he was all fine and dandy when I found him."

"Drink enough red potions and you'll be amazed how much punishment you can take" Kino said with a shrug as he undid the strings at the top of his undershirt.

"I don't think that's how those work…" Krynne began, giving him a suspicious glance.

"Well let's deal with the issue at hand first" he huffed, tugging down the loose collar of his shirt and tunic, exposing his neck and shoulder.

"What do you think you're doing?" Quincey asked with a raised brow.

"You need to drink right?" he replied, a mild bitterness in his tone.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on" Krynne interjected "you're going to let him bite you?! Won't that turn you into a vampire too?"

"Again, doesn't work that way" Quincey pointed out, glancing up at her "he won't turn unless I suck him dry, though I don't think he realizes how thirsty I am."

"I'll be fine" Kino replied, an irritated expression to his face "and it's either this or we loop back to Castle Town, risk you going on a frenzy and probably give Nenshoeu enough time to find and kill the next Sage."

"I don't like it…" Krynne admitted with a frown.

"You think I want to lose my only guide to this place?" Quincey huffed before looking back at Kino "And what makes you so sure you can stop me once I get started? You realize having your body emptied of blood isn't the same as getting stabbed; you're going to get weak, fast."

"It won't be the most blood I've lost, I'm sure" Kino assured him, leaning his head back as he averted his gaze from him "now let's get this over with, alright?"

"Suit yourself" Quincey said with a half smirk as he approached, standing easily a foot taller than the young elf. The forest grew dark as the sun finally dropped behind the horizon, Kino clenching a fist at his side when Quincey took hold of his shoulders and bared his fangs. Krynne's eyes widened as Quincey moved down quickly, his fangs clamping down into Kino's flesh. Only a faint wince escaped his lips as he felt his blood being drained from his body.

"That…" Krynne muttered, before a brief pause. She watched as the blood dripped down from the vampire's lower lip and across his chin, another thin trail of blood running down the young elf's shoulder and chest from each of the punctures in his skin. Her shocked expression fading, she drifted up from her branch and flew around the two of them, watching now with curiosity.

"Your starring's not helping…" Kino grumbled, shooting a glance the dragon's way, a faint redness to his face.

"Well, it's just from this angle" she began, darting about through the air around them "it doesn't so much look like he's biting you as it does…"

"Still, not helping" he interjected, another wince escaping him as he felt Quincey dig his fingers more fiercely into his shoulders.

"Geez, he is thirsty" Krynne muttered, returning to her perch as she watched them intently "look at him go!" There was another moment of silence between them before Kino spoke up.

"Alright, that's enough" he huffed, glancing at Quincey wearily, but got no response. The vampire's eyes gleamed with hunger, their typical violet hue now as crimson as the liquid that dripped from his lips.

"Uh, Quincey, hello?!" Krynne exclaimed, raising her head "You can stop now!" Kino paused another few seconds before his hand found the hilt of his blade. Drawing it from its sheath, the familiar sound of metal escaping its holster rang through the vampire's ears. His eyes widening, Quincey lurched back, stopping several feet from the young elf, blood running down his face and over the chest of his outfit.

"Ow…" was all Kino muttered, the fang marks on his neck now scars from the suddenness of the vampire's movements. He clasped his free hand over the wound for a moment before taking it away and glancing at his now blood soaked palm "That's going to leave a mark."

"I'd say so" Krynne said with a relieved sigh "are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'll live" he assured her, returning his blade to its sheath. Krynne glanced from him over to Quincey, an uneasy look in her expression. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, Quincey panted heavily with his eyes locked on the young elf hungrily.

"What about you?" she asked "How do you feel?"

"Better" he replied simply, straightening out his posture and running a hand through his hair "that was… not what I was expecting."

"Huh?" Krynne replied with a baffled look.

"How old are you?" Quincey questioned, looking Kino over as he straightened out his attire "thirteen, fourteen?"

"Why do you ask…?" Kino retorted, beginning to tie his undershirt back up.

"Your blood" he answered, absent mindedly licking the remaining blood from his lips "its flowing with life, all I could taste was your youth… If it weren't male blood I may've risked taking another stab for more."

"Wow, you can actually tell the difference between a man's blood and a woman's?" Krynne interjected, tilting her head.

"Oh yeah, it's night and day to me" he assured her "though when you tend to only feed on one, it's obvious when you're drinking something different."

"You learn something new every day" Kino said with a nod, doing up his tunic "hopefully we won't need to make a habit out of that…"

"Don't avoid my question" Quincey snapped, the violet returning to his eyes "seriously how old are you? You know way too much and hold too calm a posture to just be some kid."

"Oh, yeah, I was going to ask you about that!" Krynne exclaimed, swooping down from her tree branch "The Zora lady said you looked the same as you did ten years ago!"

"Ten years?" Quincey repeated with a raised brow, glancing from her back to Kino "How slow do elves age here?"

"Not that slowly" Krynne assured him "and they prefer 'Hylian', the term 'elf' is reserved for foreigners."

"Okay, so an explanation is an order" Quincey said curiously, receiving a nod from Krynne. Kino looked back at the two of them uneasily, a faint sigh escaping his lips.

"Can we at least keep making our way towards the desert while we go over this? We're losing time as it is."

"You can walk and talk at the same time" Quincey answered, gesturing him to lead the way. Krynne flew over, perching herself on the vampire's shoulder as the two of them watched the young elf step past them.

"For starters, I don't know how old I am" he began, averting his gaze from the two of them "I haven't been keeping track of the years as they've passed."

"If you had to guess?" Krynne questioned.

"More than ten" he replied with a slight smirk, glancing back at them to be met with irritated scowls. He took a moment to clear his throat and sighed "I'd say at least sixty…"

"Sixty?!" Krynne exclaimed "What are you, a fairy?!"

"Excuse me?" Kino replied, looking back at her with a puzzled look.

"You know, those children in the woods that never age" she explained "I forget what they're called…"

"He's not a fairy" Quincey assured her "I doubt you've ever drank fey blood, but you see things… Not what I got from him."

"I don't know, you looked pretty buzzed when you had your teeth in him" Krynne pointed out.

"Not the same thing" he assured her with the shake of his head.

"Well how are you that old and still look that young?" she asked, looking back at Kino once more. He gave a half shrug.

"Honestly I don't know" he answered "I've just always been this way as long as I can remember."

"Wait, your sixty years you've looked like this?" Krynne questioned "What about your childhood?" Kino shook his head.

"I don't remember ever feeling any younger or older than I do now" he told her "this is all I remember, roaming Hyrule until I settled in Castle Town a little while ago."

"Explains how you know so much about everything" Quincey said with a nod.

"Yeah, I've picked up a lot tidbits in my travels" he said with a nod "like where the cave in the side of the cliff side that'll bring us up to the desert."

"Cliff?" Krynne questioned.

"Oh yeah, I was wonder about that" Quincey said "I flew over it on my way to Castle Town, but it didn't occur to me you wouldn't be able to get up."

"Well most people take the canon back by the Zora River" Kino explained "but I find it a little… Unsavory being shot through the air to my destinations."

"Well at least we can get up there without much trouble then" Krynne said with a nod.

"Yeah, it cuts right up and under the bandit camps straight to the Arbiter Grounds" Kino added "if I'm remembering correctly it's how the Royal Family and their soldiers get up there undetected."

"Sounds like that'll save us some time too" Quincey said with a smirk "if we're lucky we can get in there and be ready for the asshole when he gets there this time."

"You planning to set a trap for him?" Krynne asked curiously.

"I plan to kick his ass on even grounds" Quincey huffed "bastard used all the running water against me so I couldn't focus on the fight last time, but this time he won't be able to exploit the terrain to his advantage."

"What if he breaks a hole in the ceiling?" she pointed out.

"He'll bring down the entire structure" Kino told her "from what I've seen, he lacks the finesse to be delicate and the stones holding that place up are ancient. He'd crush the entire building beyond repair."

"Well if his goal's to kill the Sage…" Krynne began.

"He needs them to find the next one" he assured her "that's how he's been keeping up with us."

"So he's been running in, pretending to be there to save them to get information on the next sage and then offs them" Quincey grumbled "guess there's nothing beneath him then."

"It would seem that way" Krynne muttered "all the more reason for us to be careful."

"Don't worry" Quincey assured her "I've seen every underhanded trick in the book; it'll take something seriously f*cked up to catch me off guard."


End file.
